Trends in the consumption of conventional dairy milk and plant-based beverages and their contribution to nutrient intake among Canadians

Abstract

Background: Current evidence suggests a shift from conventional dairy milk to plant-based beverages (PBBs) for a number of lifestyles and perceived health-related reasons.

Methods: Using nationally representative cross-sectional data from the 2004 and 2015 Canadian Community Healthy Surveys, the main objectives of the present study were to (i) examine the trend in the proportion of Canadians (≥ 2 years) consuming plain milk and PBBs and (ii) determine the percentage contribution of plain milk and PBBs to daily energy and nutrient intakes.

Results: From 2004 to 2015, the percentage of Canadians consuming plain milk significantly decreased from 70.2% to 56.1%, whereas the percentage of PBBs consumers significantly increased from 1.8% to 3.0%. In 2015, plain milk provided almost 50% of the daily vitamin D intake, over 30% of calcium and vitamin B12, and over 20% of vitamin A and riboflavin among plain milk consumers. The top five nutrients provided by PBBs among PBBs consumers were vitamin D, calcium, vitamin B12, vitamin A and riboflavin. Although plain milk was a major contributor to saturated fat (14.5%) and protein (12.5%) intake among plain milk consumers, PBBs provided only 0.2% of saturated fat and 1.4% of protein intake in the diet of PBBs consumers.

Conclusions: The consumption of plain milk by Canadians has declined and the consumption of PBBs has increased, which may differentially affect the nutritional profile of the diet.

Keywords: Canadian population; consumption pattern; conventional dairy milk; plant-based milk alternatives; protein; saturated fat.