Is America’s Favorite Non-Dairy Milk Bad for the Environment?

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Almond milk is a popular alternative to dairy milk, but is it eco-friendly?

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Reviewed by Dietitian Annie Nguyen, M.A., RDReviewed by Dietitian Annie Nguyen, M.A., RD

I am a big fan of almond milk—I put it in my coffee and in my overnight oats, and I dunk cookies in it. And I’m not alone in this: research shows that almond milk is the most popular non-dairy milk choice for U.S consumers. I always thought that it was an eco-friendly alternative to cow’s milk. After all, dairy cows take up a lot of space and resources, and they produce a lot of methane—a powerful greenhouse gas—thanks in part to their burps and farts. In fact, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a single cow emits up to 264 pounds of methane each year. And research has shown that a glass of dairy milk produces almost three times more greenhouse gasses than plant-based milks.

Related: What Happens to Your Body When You Drink Almond Milk Every Day

Is Almond Milk Bad for the Environment? But back to the almond milk because, as you might have read, it has its own issues. It does produce among the fewest greenhouse gasses among milks (plant-based or dairy). And it requires less land than dairy. “Also, studies have shown that almond milk produces 78% fewer carbon emissions than dairy and can be successfully produced with far less carbon emissions than soy milk, oat milk and others,” says Bonnie Taub-Dix, M.A., RDN, CDN, author of Read It Before You Eat It.

But those delicious little nuts take a lot of water to grow. Get this: just one almond needs around 3.2 gallons of water. And roughly 80% of the world’s almonds are grown in the Central Valley of California, a state that’s facing a massive water shortage.

Pesticides—such as insecticides and fungicides—may also be used to produce these crops, and there’s some evidence that they can be toxic to bee populations. And that’s a big deal because honey bees are responsible for pollinating more than 100 crops in our country, including those almonds.

Related: The 7 Healthiest Milks, According to a Dietitian

The Bottom Line So do I—and you—need to give up almond milk? “Almonds use water at rates not dissimilar to other fruits, nuts and vegetables grown in California,” says Taub-Dix. “And nutritionally speaking, almond milk can provide an excellent source of calcium, vitamin D and vitamin E. It’s also a good source of vitamin A. The versatility of these products enables families with health preferences and medical issues including lactose intolerance, gluten intolerance, vegetarian, kosher and dairy allergies, just to name a few, to enjoy a profile of flavors to meet their needs.”

Frequently Asked Questions Is almond milk bad for the environment?

Almonds do take a lot of water to grow, however, it’s not exponentially more than other fruits and vegetables grown in California. And it can be produced with far fewer carbon emissions than dairy milk and other types of plant-based milks.

Which milk is most environmentally friendly?

Good question. It’s a little complicated. For example, almond milk produces less greenhouse gasses than dairy milk, soy milk, rice milk and oat milk. And it beats out all of them except rice milk in terms of land use. However, it does require more water than other non-dairy milks.

Is almond milk worse for the environment than regular milk?

No. Dairy milk by far has more of an environmental impact in terms of land use, greenhouse gas emissions and freshwater use than almond milk—and for that matter other types of non-dairy milks.

Read the original article on Eating Well.

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Is America’s Favorite Non-Dairy Milk Bad for the Environment?

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