Oat milk rises to top as Britain's preferred plant-based drink

UK brands are working hard to satisfy growing consumer thirst for non-dairy alternatives,

- Zoe Wood

"ith white-suited operatives tapping buttons on huge machines and its walls a tangle of heavy-duty pipes, the sprawling complex in the Northamptonshire countryside could pass for a Bond villain's lair, were it not for the comforting porridge smell.

But rather than plotting world domination, the site's owner, Navara Oat Milling, is piggybacking on Britons' growing thirst for plant-based alternatives to dairy. At regular intervals, trucks loaded with up to 30 tonnes of oat flour trundle eight miles up the road to the Alpro factory in Kettering, which churns out over 200m litres of plant milk a year.

The decision by Alpro's French owner, Danone, to switch to using British oats rather than an imported syrup in its main oat drink range is the latest in a wave of innovations as plant-based food makers write a new chapter after the boom-and-bust story of the past 10 years.

During the cost of living crisis, shoppers turned away from pricey dairy and meat alternatives. In the squeeze that followed, retailers cut shelf space for such products and some high-profile names went under. Meatless Farm, for example, ceased trading before being rescued from administration.