As more people shift away from animal-based foods, dairy-free yogurt sales are skyrocketing. In fact, new market research by Fact.MR shows vegan yogurt sales increased by 30,000 metric tons in 2018. And almond milk has emerged as the dairy alternative most used as a base for vegan yogurt. Devoid of cholesterol and low in fat, almond-based varieties accounted for more than half of total vegan yogurt sales in 2018.

Fact.MR’s report highlights the growing popularity of vegan foods:

A rapid spike in the global vegan population has bolstered the demand for vegan yogurts across the world. More than 5% of the American population now identifies themselves as a vegan and recent trends suggest a likely gain is on cards as numerous people have expressed their interest in switching to a completely vegan diet. With over 300% increase in the number of vegans in the country, UK is now home to over 500,000 vegans. Germany which is the largest producer of vegan food products has over 1 million vegans.

Many companies are eager to capitalize on this rapid growth. Most recently, Danone (known as Dannon in the U.S.) announced that it would add a vegan yogurt line called Good Plants under its Light & Fit brand. The company also announced a new vegan line of Oikos, a popular Greek yogurt brand. Launching in January, the new offerings will be made with almond milk and coconut milk, respectively.

Executive Vice President Francisco Camacho told Reuters that the company expected to triple the size of its plant-based business to 5 billion euros by 2025 from 1.7 billion euros in 2018.

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In addition to making life easier for the millions of people moving away from dairy, this is all great news for cows. At dairy farms, these gentle animals are brutalized, forcibly impregnated, and confined in terrible conditions.

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