Driving factors of choice of plant-based milk alternatives among different consumer groups

Introduction. Current dietary trends combined with projected population
growth to about 10 billion by 2050 will exacerbate risks to people and the planet.
World needs a major food transformation programme to facilitate the transition
to a healthy and sustainable diet by 2050 [1]. Milk production continues to
increase, hence there has been a considerable interest in development of plantbased alternatives to traditional bovine milk [2].
Methods. A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted using an Internet
survey and results were obtained from 408 subjects in Latvia. The attitudes of
different consumer groups (omnivores, flexitarians and vegetarians/vegans)
were analysed towards plant-based milk substitutes, as well as the promotional
factors of the consumption of these products.
Results. Based on our results, in the group of omnivores, the consumption of
plant milk is primarily led by the interest in novel foods and a change to a healthy diet. In the group of flexitarians, the main drivers of the use of plant-based milk substitutes are the same as for omnivores, but they also are looking for products that are more environmentally friendly. In the vegetarian/vegan group, the main driving factors are completely different. The consumption of plant milk is primarily led by environmental protection, animal welfare, as well as the fact that they believe animal milk to be unhealthy.
Conclusions. These results suggest that most of the subjects are omnivores and
the main driving forces for using plant-based alternatives are not linked with
environmental sustainability. Results prove that transition to healthy diets by 2050 will require widespread, multisectoral and multilevel action by the government and private sector.