Advertisement

How Trendy Dairy Alternative Almond Milk Is Having A Negative Effect On The Planet

image

Almond milk/via Creative Comms

It has become a trendy alternative to traditional cows milk, embraced by those looking for a healthy new way to enjoy their latte.

But it seems the production of almond milk, which this week overtook soy at Waitrose as the preferred dairy alternative, actually has a nasty impact on the environment.

According to a report in The Guardian, more than 80 per cent of the world’s almond crop is grown in drought-hit California.

With a whopping 1.1 gallons (five litres) of water needed to grow just one almond, the nutty orchards are a poor environmental alternative to cow’s milk - which takes just 100 litres of water to produce 100ml of milk.

But huge profits for almond milk means orchards continue to be planted in California, with some troubling effects on the surrounding landscape.

In a 2014 piece for website Mother Jones entitled ‘Lay off the almond milk you ignorant hipsters’, food and agricultural correspondent Tom Phillpott explained how farmers are drilling thousands of feet down into aquifiers to pump out water. This is resulting in subsidence of around 11 inches a year, which “threatens vital infrastructure like bridges, roads, and irrigation canals” and “could trigger earthquakes.”

Demand for almond milk, which also now outsells other non-dairy milk substitutes like rice and soy in the U.S, has also managed to endanger honeybees.

In order to pollinate the almond trees, 1.6m hives are brought to California every year - according to Philpott - “into an area dripping with insecticides.” Fortunately, new guidelines have now been issued about the use of pesticide-use during the trees’ flowering season.

All this seems unlikely to halt the rapid rise in almond milk consumption which, along with being seen as a tastier alternative to hemp, soy and rice milk; is also thought of as healthier.

Indeed almonds themselves are loaded with of vitamins and minerals and are an excellent source of Vitamin E, copper and magnesium as well as healthy fatty acids which can help prevent heart disease.

However, some brands of almond milk contain as little as two per cent almond, with the majority of the drink made up of water, sugar and often additives such as stabilisers and emulsifiers.

And unlike cow’s milk, it is also lacking in protein.

Helen Bond, spokeswoman for the British British Dietetic Association said: “Dairy is a really great source of a readily available form of calcium, so you need to look for plant-based milk that is fortified with calcium, essential for maintaining bones as we get older”.

A fan of almond milk? Tweet your views to https://twitter.com/yahoostyleuk

Related reading

Non-Surgical Lunchtime Liposuction - does it work?

5 Ways To Give Your Skin And Hair A Boost With Pumpkin Pulp