Farmers from the dairy industry are becoming worried now that celebrities likeGwyneth Paltrow, Victoria Beckham, and Megan Fox are (thriving) eating plant-based diets. In fact, they say their lifestyles are “hampering the dairy industry,” by “aggressively promoting vegan diets.”1

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(Yes, Paltrow once recommended ditching dairy as part of a detox and actress Megan Fox has credited her slim figure to going dairy-free but regardless, the industry continues to falsely claim that dairy is an important source of calcium. Hint: It’s not.)

“David Dobbin, head of United Dairy Farmers, said last year: ‘It’s a demographic time bomb. We are facing a fall-off in demand for dairy.’

One in five households now buy non-dairy products such as soya, oat or almond milk.”2

It seems that across the pond, the size of the non-dairy market rose from “36 million litres in 2011 to 92 million litres in 2013,”3 a 155 percent increase. But during that same time period, adding insult to injury, milk and cream sales only grew at a rate of 3 percent.

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However, farmers might want to settle down; Britain is still a milk-buying nation.

“More than 87 per cent of shoppers are still buying dairy milk, according to research commissioned by Dairy UK, the trade organisation for dairy farmers.

And when it comes to cheese, a whopping 94 per cent of us are still buying the real dairy-based deal.

Paul Vernon, chairman of Dairy UK, said: ‘The evidence published today makes it crystal clear that consumer love for dairy products remains very strong. Dairy is present in nearly every household in the country.”4

Dairy UK is asking the government in the UK to ensure that what they call “nutrient-rich milk-based drinks”5 remain exempt from the Soft Drinks Industry tax when it’s implemented next year.

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What do you think? Do you drink and eat dairy? Have you ever considered taking a break from it and seeing what, if any, difference it made on your health and wellbeing?

Sources and References

  1. Daily Mail, October 24, 2017.
  2. Daily Mail, October 24, 2017.
  3. Daily Mail, October 24, 2017.
  4. Daily Mail, October 24, 2017.
  5. Daily Mail, October 24, 2017.