Dairy farmers from around the world were angered by World Plant Milk Day (WPMD), according to a report from agricultural outlet Agweb.com.
The initiative – created by Plant Based News‘ Co-founder Robbie Lockie in collaboration with international food awareness group ProVeg – is a celebration of the plant-based alternatives to cow’s milk, as well as the positive changes you can bring about by simply switching away from dairy – including improving your health, the environment, and animal welfare.
But according to the agricultural article titled World Plant ‘Milk’ Day Angers Dairy Farmers on a Global Scale: “Not only does this day take a stab at the dairy industry by pushing consumers to make the switch to milk alternative products, but it also encourages these consumers to sign up for their seven-day dairy-free challenge.”
Benefits
The intiative comes at a time of growth for the sector: speaking about the global transition to plant milk, ProVeg UK said: “Never before have we seen people across the world transition so quickly from one foodstuff to its alternatives in this way.
“People are fast realizing that plant milks outweigh dairy in terms of benefits for personal health, animal welfare and the environment.”
The stats back this up, with the global plant-based milk sector experiencing growth: valued at just $8.2 billion in 2014, it is expected to reach $34 billion by 2024.
Success
Analysis of the #worldplantmilkday hashtag on Twitter shows the success of the initiative, which started in 2017. The topic trended throughout the day in the UK, peaking at number two, and was tweeted from a number of countries globally including Russia, India, the USA, Canada, Brazil, Argentina and the UK among others.
Organizations including the National Health Service (NHS) and numerous businesses and media organizations tweeted about the day, sharing plant-based alternatives to dairy milk.
PBN Co-founder and WPMD creator, Robbie Lockie, said: “The day was set up as a positive celebration of plant milk, and the amazing impact you can have on animal welfare, the environment and your own health by ditching the dairy and choosing vegan milk instead. It’s amazing to see how many people got involved. I’m very excited about coming back bigger and better next year.”