Plant-based milk: Agroscope warns that it is not always healthier

Post on: 28.04.2025

The growing consumption of milk vegetable as an alternative to cow's milk prompted Agroscope, the Swiss Confederation's centre of excellence for agricultural research, to conduct an analysis of 66 products available in three Swiss supermarkets. The aim was to assess the clarity and accuracy of the nutrition information on the labels of these beverages.

Plant-based milk | Misleading labels?

The results showed that many of these drinks boast statements such as "no added sugar", "vegan" or "dairy-free. However, Agroscope pointed out that the claim "no added sugar" can be misleading, as some products naturally contain high levels of sugar, leading consumers to mistakenly believe that they are healthier than animal milk.

More awareness, less marketing

Agroscope invites producers to provide more precise and less misleading labels, which faithfully represent the nutritional content of the product, leaving no room for misinterpretation. Expressions such as "no added sugar" or "natural", if not properly contextualized, can lead the consumer to think that the product is automatically healthy, even when it has a high content of natural sugars or poor nutritional values.

At the same time, Agroscope encourages consumers to develop a critical eye by reading not only the highlighted phrases on the front of the packages, but also the nutrition tables on the back. Only in this way is it possible to make truly informed choices, avoiding relying solely on advertising slogans or food trends of the moment.

Choose according to your needs

The choice between vegetable and animal milk should be based on a careful assessment of one's nutritional needs and not just on catchy slogans. The research therefore calls for don't generalise: not all plant-based alternatives are automatically better.

Agroscope

Agroscope is the Swiss Confederation's centre of excellence for agricultural research. In practice, it is a federal organization that deals with:

• Research and development in agriculture, food and rural environment.
• Improvement of the quality of Swiss agricultural products.
• Sustainability and innovation for agriculture and the food industry.

It depends on the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) and is a very important scientific reference point for the entire Swiss agricultural and food sector.