Plant-based beverages and flavoured milks

The results of this study show variability in the nutritional composition according to different types of plant-based beverages and flavoured milks. The levels of saturated fats and sugars are especially high for beverages of animal origin, while in general, plant-based beverages have lower levels of proteins. Improving the nutritional composition of animal origin beverages and nut-based beverages would impact a majority of consumers since these two categories represent 70% of total sales. Additionally, improving flavoured beverages and beverages with added sugars would be beneficial since these beverages have higher levels of saturated fats, sugars, and sodium. Consumers should then prefer unflavoured beverages (without flavour or added sugars). Finally, plant-based beverages or flavoured milks that mention eco-responsibility don’t seem to have better nutritional composition since they have lower levels of proteins, calcium, and vitamin D in comparison to beverages that do not mention eco-responsibility.

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The Observatory mission is to observe and monitor the evolution of the food supply in order to generate new knowledge and to act collectively at improving its quality and accessibility. The studies carried out by the Observatoire aim at analyzing food categories and monitoring their evolution over time. The food categories to be studied are selected based on a rigorous approach. Indeed, after consultation with the Observatory knowledge users, the Scientific Committee prioritized the food categories to be addressed according to four main criteria: health impact, nutritional quality variability, household penetration rate and product improvement potential. As a result of this consultation, the plant-based beverages and flavoured milks category was selected and analyzed. This report presents the results of this food category’s analysis.

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