Graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Annelise has spent her career making sure food sounds appetizing on paper, looks good in pictures and tastes amazing when you order it. Her day-to-day consists of working as Marketing Manager at Ready Foods to connect food service operators with ready-to-use kitchen solutions that are easy to incorporate into a kitchen flow and bring great flavor to menu items. Her favorite hot lunch in elementary school was always nacho day. Ready Foods Annelise McAuliffe Soares Ready-to-Use Tips!
on Dairy- Free Milks The Rundown
It’s 2022, it’s typical that every foodservice kitchen has at least one diner who is dairy-free, vegan, lactose intolerant, looking to decrease their carbon footprint or just straight up prefers the taste of milks that don’t come from animals. So how does one choose what to stock in your kitchen? We look at just a few of the factors to consider for each dairy-free option: the carbon footprint, the allergens, the nutritional density. Almond, rice, oat, pea, flax, coconut, hemp, soy… how does one choose?! Some facts to get us started… According to Fior Markets, the dairy alternative market is supposed to increase by 11.7% by 2028, it’s time to get educated. The US Department of Agriculture reports that 80% of our water goes to agriculture, a fact we need to monitor. No matter which milk you choose, know that all agriculture for diary-free milk production is reported to use less water and land than raising cattle for milk. Almond Milk Almond Milk packs the calcium punch, like cow’s milk. While it uses less water than cow’s milk to produce, almonds are one of the neediest nuts when it comes to water, increasing its carbon footprint. The other strike against this milk option is that it is, of course, made with a top nut allergen. (Walnuts and pistachios are also high water usage nus. Peanuts and cashews tend to use less water.) Rice Milk This dairy-free option is great, when it comes to keeping your kitchen allergen-free. However, rice milk is relatively high in calories and low in nutrients. Because rice has to be grown in pools of water, its carbon footprint is rather large, although still smaller than almond’s. Oat Milk Oat milk is a good choice from a nutrient and low-
water usage standpoint. It touts a label that is high in fiber and some brands certify their product as gluten- free. Pea Milk A newer option on the dairy-free scene, pea milk is made from yellow peas and tends to have more protein than the other options. It is often loaded with calcium. A bonus, these milks tend to be allergen- free. Peas also require much less water to grow than almonds. Flax & Hemp Milk We find flax milk to not be as naturally sweet-tasting as other options, like oat milk. It’s a great alternative in savory recipes, plus both hemp and flax are not on the top allergen list. Most flax and hemp milks are loaded with healthy omega-3’s. Both are fairly hearty crops and do not require a ton of water or pesticides to thrive. Coconut Milk Coconut allergies are common, so proceed with caution, although they do require less water to grow. Combined with its bold flavor, coconut milk is fairly high in saturated fat, which gives it two more negative marks. Soy Milk Like pea milk, soy milk is high in protein and overall has great nutrition. Its water usage is relatively low, but it does require a lot of land to grow soybeans. Soy is also a top allergen, so use with caution. As you can see, there is no one-size-fits-all option. Choose a dairy-free milk that suits your students and your sustainability and nutrition goals. Don’t be afraid to switch it up and test the waters.
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