Here's a 5 minute video that would explain why the newer generations are so mad about the unethical practices of Dairy industry. I know it opened my eyes:
Aubrey Plaza Is the Unfortunate New Face of the Milk Wars
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Re: Aubrey Plaza Is the Unfortunate New Face of the Milk Wars
#52“Aubrey, no!” screamed one TikToker, narrating the Wood Milk campaign video. “Why on earth are you getting in bed with ‘Got Milk?’ Nobody likes milk—like, literally nobody.” Oh the bovinity There's some OK analysis further in, though I think they overlook the impact of demographic changes, lactose intolerance, and some other factors. The main problem for US milk providers is that most milk sold in the US is not very…
Cow milk is a battleground topic for global warming and climate change. Gen Z has been encouraged to ditch milk to cut back on industrial cattle farming and methane emissions. They're also told that farming cattle is inhumane. The milk alternatives (almond, etc.) have been framing it this way commercially, but there is also a lot of grassroots campaigning.
I suspect that local milk is better for the environment (or less bad depending on how you look at it) than almond milk in most cases:
By far the largest producer of almonds is the USA, I think California mostly, which in itself has a large environmental impact, not least because of the water required. I am in the UK so I can reasonably assume that a lot of the almond milk I see in supermarkets comes from Californian almonds somehow shipped half across the world, whereas there are cows within walking distance from my home. And, of course, in any case there is no actual dietary need for people to drink either milk or milk alternatives (though most people here would argue that milk is required in tea...)
Frankly, this is no more than commercial interests vs. other commercial interests and most people are not interested in complexity, they want simple 'solutions' to feel good.
Re: Aubrey Plaza Is the Unfortunate New Face of the Milk Wars
#53I'm with her. Once proponents of allegedly more ecological alternative products come up with their own names, I'll start considering them. Not being able to market their products on their own merits and instead piggybacking on popular categories like milk, steak, meat, burger, etc., usually just means that you won't get what you're looking for.
Wikipedia says 'In English, the word "milk" has been used to refer to "milk-like plant juices" since 1200 CE' so I think that boat sailed a long time ago.
I'm not against that definition, but neither soybeans nor almonds produce any 'milk-like plant juices.'
Re: Aubrey Plaza Is the Unfortunate New Face of the Milk Wars
#54Earlier quoted context omitted.
Cow milk is a part of human culture that has enabled us to settle in places where we otherwise couldn't have. There's a reason lactose tolerance in Scandinavia is so high. In Winter, you can't get enough calories from crops. The only thing you have is inedible (to you) grass and bushes. Cattle is a way to convert that to something that can provide calories to you. The lactose intolerant in those places have been wipe…
And is it still used for that purpose? If not then I'm not sure why it matters what it was used for before?
Sure is, milk is drunk all over the world in large quantities. I can speak for Portugal, the milk aisles in the supermarkets are an order of magnitude larger than the soy, almond, etc "milks".
Without milk you won't have butter, mascarpone, cream, cheese and yogurt (and many spreads).
Milk is also the basis of most breakfasts around here, with granola and other cereals. We also give milk to children in school to help those that are poor and may not be eating properly at home.
On a lighter note, milk is essential for the confection of many cakes, for chocolate, ice cream, as well as for many recipes, sweet and sour.
Re: Aubrey Plaza Is the Unfortunate New Face of the Milk Wars
#55Looking at the comments it seems like most are just out of touch with gen z (or whatever gen) as big milk is. Cow milk is for baby cows.
Cow milk is a part of human culture that has enabled us to settle in places where we otherwise couldn't have. There's a reason lactose tolerance in Scandinavia is so high. In Winter, you can't get enough calories from crops. The only thing you have is inedible (to you) grass and bushes. Cattle is a way to convert that to something that can provide calories to you. The lactose intolerant in those places have been wipe…
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Re: Aubrey Plaza Is the Unfortunate New Face of the Milk Wars
#56As a drink a pint of milk is cheaper than bottled water.
Drinking raw milk seems to be a very American thing? I eat cheese and yogourts, but I have never drank raw milk in a glass, and don't think I have ever seen anyone else do it in real life. It looks really bizarre (and frankly, kind of gross).
It is very much a thing everywhere in Europe, Africa and South America (assuming you meant North America).
Re: Aubrey Plaza Is the Unfortunate New Face of the Milk Wars
#57Earlier quoted context omitted.
And is it still used for that purpose? If not then I'm not sure why it matters what it was used for before?
Because it created an entire culture around it, our people's history. Parmigiano Reggiano was loved by Boccaccio already. Homer's Odyssey talks of what we would call Feta today. Egyptian murals detail cheesemaking. Today, too, dairy is an important aspect of many cultures. > Sandra Ott’s fascinating ethnography of Basque shepherds (Ott 1981) reveals much about the central role cheese can have in everyday life. In the…
>Dairy products aren't just food. They're millenia old culture and identity.
So people aren't allowed to change their preferences or way of life if it's deemed "cultural"?
Re: Aubrey Plaza Is the Unfortunate New Face of the Milk Wars
#58Earlier quoted context omitted.
Tell that to the Massai, that live basically on a diet of milk, meat and blood. Just because you wish it to be bad it doesn't change reality my dude.
https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/lactose-intoleran... "Lactase nonpersistence is most prevalent in people of East Asian descent, with 70 to 100 percent of people affected in these communities." Masai herdsmen are East Africans; so I find that statistic bewildering. "Lactase nonpersistence" means the decline of the production of the enzyme lactase beyond infancy. I don't know whether lactase nonpersistence i…
A (very small) percentage of the population is alergic to peanuts. They can even die if they ingest a peanut by accident. Does it make so that "peanuts are bad for you"? Can I make this argument? Milk is perfectly fine and is an important part of a healthy diet, for 90% of the population of the Americas, Europe, Africa etc. The magnitude of the propaganda to make people think otherwise simply baffles me.
Re: Aubrey Plaza Is the Unfortunate New Face of the Milk Wars
#59Just going by the numbers cited in the article, milk is almost 6 times as popular in the US as milk alternatives. Let's round "almost 6" down to 5. That would mean milk has 5/6 of the milk-like market. It further goes on to claim that milk consumption is down by 20% among Gen-Z compared to the average. 20% less is 80% or 4/5.
So milk's popularity with Gen-Z is 4/5 of 5/6 which equals 2/3. In other words, milk is still twice as popular among Gen-Z as all the other milk-likes combined. That's certainly a relative decline but it's far from the "nobody likes milk anymore" tone of the article.
Re: Aubrey Plaza Is the Unfortunate New Face of the Milk Wars
#60I'm with her. Once proponents of allegedly more ecological alternative products come up with their own names, I'll start considering them. Not being able to market their products on their own merits and instead piggybacking on popular categories like milk, steak, meat, burger, etc., usually just means that you won't get what you're looking for.
Well eeeeh, I'd say that's not a great point. If we're strict with etymology, maybe maybe those meat products should stop piggybacking and come with their own names. I'm pretty sure McDonald's patties aren't coming from Hamburg.
The old english origin for meat meant "food", for steak meant "fry or roast"... and lots of those words have been used since looong time ago to refer to similar substances or that look alike, i.e. milk.
Also, using vegetable products isn't only because of being "allegedly more ecological", there are lot's of different reasons, typically : can't/shouldn't/won't eat animal products of some or all kinds. Or, just liking them, you know.