Plant-Based Dairy Gains Ground: Blind Taste Test Reveals Progress and Challenges

Over the past two decades, the plant-based food sector has experienced significant growth, with alternatives to meat and dairy becoming increasingly available. Even as plant-based meat currently represents a minor fraction of the American meat market (around 1%), plant-based milk has achieved a considerably larger foothold, now accounting for approximately 15% of all fluid milk sales in the U.S. USDA Economic Research Service. A recent, large-scale blind taste test offers insights into this disparity, revealing consumer preferences and areas for improvement within the dairy-free market.

The Largest Dairy-Free Taste Test to Date

NECTAR, a nonprofit research organization focused on alternative proteins, conducted a comprehensive blind taste test involving 2,183 participants in San Francisco and Novel York City. NECTAR. The study evaluated 98 top-selling plant-based dairy products across ten categories – including milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream, and creamers – alongside conventional dairy benchmarks. Participants, comprising vegetarians, pescatarians, flexitarians, and omnivores, rated each product on a seven-point scale based on flavor, texture, and appearance, prepared in realistic scenarios (e.g., cream cheese on bagels, mozzarella on pizza).

Consumer Preference: Dairy Still Leads, But the Gap is Closing

consumers generally preferred conventional dairy products over their plant-based counterparts. 65% of ratings for conventional dairy were “like highly much” or “like,” compared to 35% for plant-based alternatives. However, the study revealed significant variation in quality among plant-based products. Notably, some plant-based creamers, sour cream, barista milk, and regular milk achieved ratings comparable to their dairy equivalents.

This finding aligns with previous research indicating a wide range in taste and quality within the plant-based sector. Vox. While many plant-based products disappoint, a select few offer a compelling alternative.

Taste Parity Achieved: Califia Farms Oat Barista Blend

In a head-to-head comparison, only one plant-based product reached “taste parity” with its dairy counterpart: Califia Farms’ Oat Barista Blend, when tested against Horizon Organic whole milk in lattes. The results were nearly split, with 35% preferring the oat milk, 35% preferring cow’s milk, and 30% expressing no preference. Califia Farms. This result, according to NECTAR Director Caroline Cotto, demonstrates the potential for plant-based milks to fully compete with dairy.

27% of the tested plant-based products received ratings where at least half of the participants either preferred them over the animal benchmark or had no preference. This is a significant improvement compared to a similar NECTAR taste test for plant-based meats last year, where only 16% of products reached that threshold.

Top-Performing Plant-Based Products

Here’s a breakdown of the top-rated plant-based products in each category, according to the NECTAR blind taste test:

• Barista Milk: Califia Farms (oat), DREAM (oat), Milkadamia (macadamia), Minor Figures (oat), Planet Oat (oat), Ripple
• Butter: Violife, Melt Organic, Country Crock
• Cheddar (slices): Field Roast, Daiya Foods, Follow Your Heart, Miyoko’s Creamery, Plant Ahead
• Cream Cheese: Violife (supreme original)
• Creamer: Coffee-mate (Italian sweet crème), Oatly (sweet & creamy oat), Planet Oat (sweet & creamy oat), Silk (sweet & creamy almond), SOWN (sweet & creamy oat), Violife (supreme sweet cream)
• Ice Cream: So Delicious (very vanilla cashewmilk)
• Milk: Almond Breeze (original almondmilk), Maïzly (original), Silk (original soymilk)
• Sour Cream: Violife
• Yogurt: Cocojune (plain Greek-style)

Beyond Taste: Price, Sustainability, and Ethical Considerations

While taste is crucial, other factors influence consumer choices. Plant-based dairy often carries a price premium compared to conventional dairy. NECTAR’s research indicates that a 25% price increase for plant-based milk reduces purchase intent by 43%. Vox. It’s important to note that the low cost of cow’s milk is partially due to government subsidies and deregulation.

the environmental and ethical implications of dairy production are significant. Global dairy production contributes substantially to greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution, comparable to global air travel. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Animal welfare concerns and worker safety issues also plague the dairy industry.

Improving Plant-Based Dairy: Key Areas for Innovation

NECTAR identified several areas for improvement in plant-based dairy products:

• Reduce Off-Flavors: Address unpleasant tastes and aftertastes, particularly in yogurt and sour cream.
• Increase Richness: Enhance the creamy texture and mouthfeel of products like ice cream, cream cheese, and cheddar.
• Improve Stretchiness: Develop plant-based mozzarella with better melting and stretching properties.
• Lower Prices: Make plant-based alternatives more affordable to encourage wider adoption.

Startups like Bettani Farms are working on innovative solutions, such as super-stretchy dairy-free mozzarella. Bettani Farms.

The Future of Dairy Alternatives

The transition to plant-based dairy is likely to be gradual, driven by ongoing research and development, improvements in taste and texture, and a growing awareness of the environmental and ethical concerns associated with conventional dairy. Addressing price sensitivity and overcoming ingrained food preferences will be critical to achieving widespread adoption. However, the progress demonstrated in the NECTAR blind taste test suggests a promising future for dairy alternatives.