Growing up, the only milk choices in my home was Skim or 2% ― I don’t think we even bought flavored milks. For my children, the options are more diverse ― whole, 2%, ultra-filtered and even plant milks. Although I recall a few friends who had soy milk during my formative years, they remained niche. That no longer is the case.

In an August 2022 report from Beverage Marketing Corporation (BMC) titled “Almond, Oat and Plant Milks in the U.S. through 2026,” the volume of U.S. dairy alternatives is shown to have grown elevenfold from the start of the century to 2021. According to the report, volume sales were 29.2 million gallons in 1998, growing to 100 million gallons by 2004.