Vegans are calling on coffee shop chains to remove a surcharge on plant milks which can add as much as 50p per cup to the cost of a brew.
Veganuary, the global organisation encouraging people to give up meat and dairy, says many high street coffee chains currently charge between 20p and 50p extra when customers choose to add liquids such as soya, oat, almond, or coconut milks to their drink.
The organisation is using World Plant Milk Day, celebrated each year on August 22, to launch a campaign aimed at what it calls “a tax on climate-conscious customers”.
Veganuary said soya milk is free in some high street chains – including Pret A Manger, Costa Coffee, Caffe Nero and Starbucks – but other milks, such as coconut and almond, have been reported as being more expensive in chains such as Starbucks, Pret and Costa.
Earlier in August 2019, more than 50,000 people petitioned for coffee companies to stop charging extra on non-dairy milk alternatives. The campaign, led by animal rights organisation PETA, called on Starbucks to remove the extra charge.
The issues been backed by vegans, and vegan businesses, in the South West, who state that reducing the cost of non-dairy drinks would actually encourage custom at coffee outlets.
Fiona Graham, who runs the vegan eatery No Whey in Plymouth’s famous Union Street, said she has been inundated with lactose-intolerant customers who want a drink without “sky high” additional charges.
She said: “Not only would cafes be encouraging more custom if they took away the extra charges, they will be supporting the vegan movement, and those with intolerances and allergens alike. The cost is minimal for the impact it has for customers.”
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Rebecca Green, from vegan cafe Mooplehog, in Okehampton, Devon, agreed and said: “A carton of oat or soya can cost less than a pound. If, rather than charging extra for plant milk they promoted that they stock it, then there would be no need to charge extra.
Vegan, vegetarian, lacto-ovo - know the difference
Vegans eat no animal products, while vegetarians don’t eat animals but may eat products that come from animals such as milk and eggs. People choose these diets because of health concerns, religious restrictions or moral concerns about harming animals or wanting to protect the environment.
Although all vegans tend to follow the same set of clear cut guidelines – eating nothing that comes from an animal – there are a some different vegetarian diets, such as:
Lacto-ovo (or ovo-lacto) - from the Latin words for milk and egg, and the most common type of vegetarians who eat dairy products and eggs but avoid meat, poultry and seafood.
Lacto - vegetarians who eat dairy products but no eggs, meat, poultry or seafood.
Ovo - vegetarians who eat eggs but no dairy products, meat, poultry or seafood.
Pesco - vegetarians, or pescatarians, who don’t technically meet the definition of vegetarian but follow a semi-vegetarian diet and eat fish and other seafood but not poultry or meat.
Clothes and cosmetics - vegans avoid wearing leather and suede because they are made from animal skins. They may avoid fabrics that are made from animal byproducts, including wool and silk, because animals can be harmed in the process. Many vegans also buy only cruelty-free cosmetics and beauty products.
“It can always be used in cooking,” shd added. “The cost of one carton is likely absorbed in one customer. They should see that as cheap advertising.
“I own a vegan café. Yes, our costs are higher but drinks are where cafés make their money, the highest profit margin.
“A carton of plant milk every two days would not hurt. Think how much more support they'd get by being able to promote that they don't charge.”
Toni Vernelli, head of communications at Veganuary, said: “Charging extra for plant milk is effectively a tax on climate-conscious customers.
“Animal farming is responsible for more than half of all food-related greenhouses gases and cows are the prime cause, with each one burping out 600 litres of methane a day. The true cost of cow’s milk is climate catastrophe.”
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She added: “This World Plant Milk Day we’re calling on all coffee chains to follow AMT’s lead and help halt the devastating impact animal farming has on our planet by providing free planet-friendly plant milk for all customers – before we all pay the price.”
Veganism is big business
World Plant Milk Day, now in its third year, is a collaboration between global food awareness organisation ProVeg International and vegan news service Plant Based News.
The idea is to celebrate the wide array of plant-based alternatives to dairy products and highlights their benefits for animals, the planet and human health.
This all comes as the popularity of plant-based drinks increases, with a report by the Plant Based Foods Association and The Good Food Institute revealing that sales of vegan milk has grown by 6% in the past year, in the USA, with cow milk sales dropping 3%. The report said plant-based milks now make up 13% of the entire milk drink market.
South West vegans said any surcharge on plant-based milks is unfair, and would even like to see a “sin tax” levied on cow milk.
Plymouth businesswoman Star Khechara said: “Charging extra for plant milks makes veganism seem elitist, expensive or unobtainable. Plant-based diets are now essential for saving the planet so I’d love to see a cafe switch it up by making their plant milks free - but charging extra for environmentally destructive cow milk.”
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Tanya Jewell said: “I think it's so wrong to charge extra for plant milks, when we are all - whether we like it or not - subsidising dairy through our taxation system.”
Chloe Blackman added: “In light of the current climate crisis, it's pretty ludicrous that customers are essentially being penalised for choosing a less environmentally destructive option.”
Charlie Pritchard said: “Remove the subsidies to the dairy industry and reveal the real costs of cows' milk.”
And Wendy Cooke said: “The chains have business models to make huge profits. Independent vegan businesses care, most business owners that I converse with are making very little profit, often charging less than the chains, because they care. Use your indie businesses instead.”