The annual event is a collaboration between global food awareness organisation ProVeg International and vegan news service Plant Based News.
“There are now dairy-free alternatives for everything you could wish for, from ice cream to pizza to yoghurt to cheese, and so many different plant milks to choose from - all more readily available than ever. There’s never been a better time to give dairy-free a go,” said Donovan Will, director of ProVeg South Africa.
"Last year, World Plant Milk Day reached 30 million people globally. This year’s edition promises to be even bigger with activities planned across the globe," stated the companies in a release.
On 22 August, the ProVeg South Africa team will be offering free samples of a variety of plant-based milks, as well as five different plant-based cheeses to thousands of students at the University of Cape Town's Jammie Plaza.
Retail chain Food Lover's Market will be running a promotion on their plant-based milk options available in all of their stores nationwide, while Lexi's Healthy Eatery in Johannesburg will also be offering free cappuccinos prepared with almond milk to showcase it as a tasty alternative to cow's milk.
This is all in the context of the continued rapid growth of the milk alternative market, with the sector expected to reach revenues of more than $38 billion globally by 2024, up from $8.2 billion in 2014.
“This marks a profound shift in consumer tastes and attitudes,” says Robbie Lockie, co-founder of both Plant Based News and World Plant Milk Day.
Additional support, recipe ideas and suggestions for switching to plant-based milk can be found at www.worldplantmilkday.com.
