The rise and fall of oat milk: Has the trendiest dairy alternative finally fallen from grace?

Sign up to IndyEat's free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releases Get our food and drink newsletter for free Get our food and drink newsletter for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In a high-profile interview with American entrepreneur Marie Forleo that’s garnered 4.3 million views on TikTok, Jessie Inchauspé – the French biochemist and New York Times bestselling author also known as the “Glucose Goddess” – gave the following damning assessment: “Oat milk comes from oats, and oats are a grain, and grains are starch. Dr Federica Amati, head nutritionist at Zoe, the personalised nutrition company and author of Every Body Should Know This and Recipes for a Better Menopause, says that, while many plant milks, including oat milk, can be heavily processed and may include a wide range of ingredients you wouldn’t find in a kitchen, “most people only drink them in small quantities, and the fortified versions offer vegans and children beneficial nutrients”. “Cow’s milk uses significantly more land and water than oat and other plant milks per litre of milk,” says not-for-profit co-operative, The Ethical Consumer. Figures from Our World in Data indicate oat milk uses 13 times less water, and 11 times less land to produce one litre of milk compared with cow’s milk.” But the Ethical Consumer adds that “to consider environmental impacts holistically requires an understanding of production methods, which often is ignored.