Sales of non-dairy "milk" rocket in home of Jersey cow

Sales of non-dairy based "milk" products are increasing at six times the rate of normal dairy products in Jersey.

Figures from the Channel Island’s Co-Operative reveal non-dairy sales are up 12% on a year, compared with a rise of just 2.3% for overall milk sales.

Plant based "milk" products include those derived from soya, almonds, rice, coconuts, oats and hemp. They are useful for vegans or for people with allergies or lactose intolerance.

Research by Mintel shows that sales of dairy alternatives in Britain have grown by 155% from 2011-2013; an increase in volume from 36 million to 92 million litres.

Lorraine O’Meara, Manager of Leaders, one of Jersey’s longest established health food stores, attributes the boom to almond and coconut milk. She said: “Sales of soya milk have been quite constant but coconut and almond milk products are just flying.

“You have people on the island who won’t drink anything but Jersey milk, but there are others who don’t feel their best drinking dairy, who are turning to the plant-based alternatives.”

Jim Plumley, chief commercial officer, Channel Islands Co-operative said: “This seems like a massive increase compared to that of conventional dairy products but it shows that even in the home of the Jersey cow, consumers have an appetite for new products.”

As well as the increase in plant-based milk products, sales of lactose-free milks, like buffalo or goat’s milk have grown by 55% in the UK over the same period, reaching 17 million litres in 2013.

In the Mintel study a quarter of Brits believe that plant-based milk is healthier for you than cow’s milk and almost one in ten thought drinking milk could upset their digestive system and leave them feeling bloated.

Kiti Soininen, Head of UK Food, Drink and Foodservice Research, at Mintel said: “The opposing trends of health concerns over cream’s fat content, price fluctuations and the boost to scratch cooking and baking originally sparked by recession have seen a volatile performance in the cream market in recent years.

“However, sales of dairy alternatives and lactose-free produce have benefitted from increased marketing activity as well as improved availability in terms of variety and distribution.

“Many consumers may well be turning to dairy alternatives or lactose-free cow’s milk for perceived health reasons as our research shows that a number of people feel drinking milk can upset their digestive system and leave them feeling bloated.”

Despite the increasing popularity of plant-based products, the Jersey cow is not yet feeling the threat.

Bob Jones, Head of Marketing at Jersey Dairy, said: “Our own sales of cow’s milk in Jersey are holding up well and we’re not seeing any real impact from the plant-based products. People drink a little less milk in hot weather but we make up for it with ice cream.”