Say it loud... our morning brew is full-fat and proud

Once scorned for its fat content, sales of natural cow’s milk are soaring while trendy plant-based alternatives are under scrutiny. Hannah Twiggs hears what nutritionists have to say

-  Hannah Twiggs

For years, full-fat cow’s milk – once the undisputed king of the British breakfast table – has been in exile. First, it was villainised for its fat content, then unceremoniously dumped in favour of plant-based pretenders. Oat, almond, soy – the new darlings of the milk aisle – elbowed it out of flat whites up and down the country. But something’s changing. The tide is turning, and the white stuff is flowing back into fashion.

According to Waitrose, searches for “full-fat milk” have skyrocketed by 417 per cent in the past month alone. Tesco reports an 8 per cent rise in whole milk sales, while plant-based alternatives have taken a 2 per cent dip. After years of being sold skimmed and semi-skimmed as the better options, consumers are returning to full-fat milk – and they want it unadulterated, not the watery, stripped-back versions peddled as healthier for decades. So, is cow’s milk back in vogue?

At the heart of this shift is a broader reckoning with ultraprocessed foods (UPFs). “The growing awareness of ultraprocessed food in our diets has seen many customers seeking the basics and embracing a much simpler approach to their diet,” says Maddy Wilson, director of Waitrose Own Brand.

After years of being told that low fat meant good health, consumers are waking up to the fact that stripping food of its natural components might not have been the answer after all. And nowhere is this shift more visible than in the dairy aisle.

One of the loudest critics of low-fat dairy is Professor Tim Spector. The gut health guru has been calling time on fat phobia for years. “The idea that you should swap full-fat dairy for low-fat is rubbish,” he said on his podcast, ZOE Science & Nutrition. “If you take the fat out, what you’re left with is a food that’s more processed, less satisfying and not necessarily healthier.”