Plant-based drinks can be used in everyday nutrition in the same way as cow's milk, but they are made from purely plant-based raw materials. The most common ingredients for plant-based drinks are oats, soybeans, almonds, and rice. There are now also products made from various nuts, spelt, millet, peas, buckwheat, and coconut. To produce them, the solids are first removed from the mixture of ground grains, nuts, or legumes and water. After further production steps such as homogenization, which gives the plant-based drink a uniform consistency, and heat treatment, the plant-based drinks are packaged. Due to the different raw material bases, the vitamin and mineral content in plant-based drinks is not comparable with each other or with the content in cow's milk.

The cultivation of plant-based foods generally causes significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions. In order to compare the effects of different greenhouse gases, the unit of measurement CO2 equivalent was created. It is used to express the climate impact of different greenhouse gases in comparison to that of carbon dioxide. Therefore, we will always refer to CO2 equivalent in the following.

Depending on its fat content and shelf life, cow's milk causes emissions of 1.1 to 1.7 kg of CO2 equivalents per kg of product and thus has a significantly higher carbon footprint than plant-based drinks: For example, oat-based plant-based drinks emit 0.3 kg of CO2 equivalents per kg of product, soy-based drinks emit 0.4 kg, and rice-based drinks emit 0.6 kg.

The climate impact of one liter of cow's milk is equivalent to driving approximately 19 kilometers in a car in Germany. Some of the climate-damaging emissions are produced in the cow's digestive system (keyword: methane). However, the cultivation of feed crops also accounts for a large proportion, as only a small proportion of dairy cows live on pasture and eat exclusively grass. Feed cultivation also accounts for the high values in the categories of land use and water consumption.

The variety of plant-based drinks on offer is huge. Each variety has its own taste, depending on the plant. There are also blends that use several plant species as raw materials. Various types of oat, almond, soy, and rice drinks are mainly available in stores.

Oat drinks are among the favorites in Germany; they have a mild flavor, are slightly sweet, and have a creamy texture. Oats are grown regionally; the plants are undemanding and hardy, consume little water, and require hardly any pesticides or fertilizers. In addition, just 100 g of oats are enough to make one liter of oat milk.

Almond milk is the second most popular alternative in Germany. It has a nutty taste and a slight marzipan flavor. However, around 80% of the almonds processed worldwide come from California. In Europe, Spain is the leading almond producer. In both cases, the almond plantations are usually artificially irrigated—the main criticism of almond cultivation. The use of pesticides is also a problem.

Soy drink ranks third among the most popular plant-based drinks. It tastes neutral to slightly nutty and has a silky consistency. Only 2.1% of the global soybean harvest is used for soy milk. Most manufacturers of soy products for the German market ensure that cultivation is as sustainable as possible in EU countries, where the cultivation of genetically modified soybeans is not permitted. Many produce organic quality products, which are more sustainable, without genetic engineering and with fewer pesticides.

Rice drinks have a very mild, slightly sweet taste and a rather thin consistency. In the case of rice drinks, it is particularly important to pay attention to European origin. Rice from Europe is usually produced using dry farming methods and is therefore significantly more climate-friendly than Asian rice. Otherwise, the water consumption for rice significantly exceeds that of cow's milk. However, this is offset by the lower proportion of CO2 equivalents and land use.

The variety of plant-based drinks on offer is huge, with the taste varying significantly depending on the type of plant used and the manufacturer. There are also blends that use several types of plants as raw materials. Not to be forgotten are the barista varieties for the perfect cappuccino foam. It is worth trying out different products from the range to find out which ones best suit your personal taste.

The German Nutrition Society recommends two servings of cow's milk or cow's milk products as an important source of calcium, iodine, vitamin B12, and vitamin B2. Without fortification, plant-based drinks generally do not contain relevant amounts of these nutrients. These can be added to plant-based drinks. However, organic products are subject to a general ban on supplementation, which is regulated in the EU Organic Regulation 2018/848. Therefore, organic products, which make up the majority of plant-based drinks on the market, may not be fortified with the above-mentioned nutrients. People who consume no or very few animal products are generally advised to obtain these nutrients from other sources. However, one advantage of plant-based drinks is their low saturated fat content. They also contain no cholesterol and provide fiber, even if the levels are usually not high.