On this page:

• Nutrition
• Faba milk vs pistachio milk: Which tastes better?

Just when you thought they’d managed to squeeze milk out of every living thing on earth, in comes the latest plant-based milks on the market: faba (or fava) bean and pistachio milk. 

But before you jump on this latest dairy-free milk trend, let’s see if these ‘milks’ are as good nutritionally as other plant-based milks on the market, and perhaps more importantly, do they taste any good? 

We’ve taken a look at the Inside Out Faba Bean Milk and Inside Out Pistachio Milk and compared a few key details to some other popular plant-based milks on the market. 

We chose brands readily available in supermarkets, including:

• two oat milks (Oatly Oat Milk and OMG Oat Milk Goodness)
• two almond milks (So Good Almond Barista Edition and Almond Breeze Unsweetened Almond Milk)
• two soy milks (Vitasoy Soy Milky Regular and Macro Certified Organic Soy Milk).

Nutrition

Plant-based milks are basically water with a small percentage of beans, oats or nuts. So in terms of ingredients, the difference comes down to what that small percentage is, and where it’s come from.

Protein

Nutritionally, the faba bean milk is a pretty good option with a Health Star Rating (HSR) of 4, not far off the average 4.5 HSR of soy milk products. This is because of the faba milk’s higher protein content at 4g per 100mL, compared with the nut milk average of less than 1g of protein per 100mL.

Kilojoules

Both the faba bean milk and the pistachio milk products are lower in kilojoules compared with oat and soy milks, and are closer to almond milk in this regard. 

The faba bean and pistachio milks have an average of 126kJ per 100mL, while the oat and soy milks we compared them with contained an average 243kJ per 100mL.

Calcium

Not all the plant-based milks we assessed stated their calcium content. 

Calcium is important if you intend to replace your dairy milk with a plant-based milk. If you aren’t getting that calcium from other sources, like cheese, leafy green vegetables or tofu, you’ll want your plant-based milk to have added calcium. 

The Inside Out Faba Bean and Pistachio milks are fortified with 80mg calcium per 100mL. The other plant-based milks we looked at all contained more than 100mg of calcium per 100mL (where stated), which is considerably more.

Put another way, a serve of the faba or pistachio milks gives you 25% of your recommended daily intake (RDI) for calcium, while the fortified soy and almond milks we looked at would give you about 36% of your RDI.  

Carbohydrates

If you’re trying to reduce your carbohydrate intake, these new milks are a better option than the other plant-based milks we looked at. With 1.8g (faba bean) and 1.6g (pistachio) of carbohydrates per 100mL, they’re much lower in carbohydrates than the soy and almond milks we looked at, which contained an average of 4.7g per 100mL. 

The only plant-based milk that was similarly lower in carbohydrates was the Almond Breeze Unsweetened Almond Milk, with 1.2g per 100mL. 

Good to know: Both milks are made in Australia with more than 95% Australian ingredients.

Faba milk vs pistachio milk: Which tastes better?

We taste tested the Inside Out Faba Bean Milk and Pistachio Milk in three ways: on their own, with coffee, and with cereal. Here’s what our taste testers thought.

On their own

The pistachio milk appears like powder suspended in water and is drinkable on its own. It’s watery and similar to an almond milk with a nuttiness to it.

The faba milk was in a league of its own. If we could describe the taste and texture, it would be similar to the soy milk that was on the market in the ’90s. It’s thick and has a legume taste to it.

With coffee

The pistachio milk wasn’t too bad with coffee. It was slightly separated with gritty particles present, but the coffee overtakes the taste of the milk.

Faba milk is considered ‘barista-friendly’, which means it should work well with coffee and have frothing ability, so we were interested to assess this. As we shook the bottle before use, it was slightly frothy and appeared creamy, which was great. But the strong taste still overpowered the taste of the coffee.

With cereal 

As the pistachio milk is quite watery, it probably wouldn’t be one of those milks you’d drink after finishing the cereal from the bowl.

The faba milk is thicker than the pistachio milk, but the taste overpowered the cereal in a noticeable way.

The post Faba bean and pistachio milks: The new dairy alternatives appeared first on ÌÇÐÄVlog.

On this page:

• What is oat milk?
• Is oat milk good for you?
• Barista oat milk
• How to make oat milk
• Cheapest oat milk

It’s the vegan milk alternative du jour. In the US, oat milk has surpassed almond milk as the fastest-growing dairy alternative, and Australians’ interest in oat milk has increased roughly ten-fold over the past five years, according to Google Trends. And while soy and almond milk still dominate the category here, the grocery value of oat milk continues to rise. 

So what actually is oat milk, how is it made, and is it good for you? We look at its pros and cons, and compare oat milk products from Chobani, Minor Figures, Oatly, Vitasoy and more.

What is oat milk?

Oat milk is a plant-based, vegan-friendly drink that – in its most basic form –  is made by blending together oats and water and straining off the liquid. 

You can use it for anything from fruit smoothies to baking, so it can make for a versatile alternative to cow’s milk if you’re vegan, allergic to milk, or lactose-intolerant. You might also simply prefer the taste.

But it’s not always suitable as a direct substitute for cow’s milk. And some store-bought oat milk products are better for you than others.

See our recipe for homemade oat milk.

Is oat milk good for you?

Oat milk is not as good for you as the healthy-sounding claims on the label would have you believe – especially compared to cow’s milk. It is, however, lactose-free, low in saturated fat, cholesterol-free and it contains beta-glucan, a type of soluble fibre found in oats.

Oat milk vs cow’s milk

There’s a reason why the nutrient profile of cow’s milk sets the bar as the gold standard for milk drinks. Nicole Dynan, accredited practising dietitian (APD) and owner and director of The Good Nutrition Co explains.

“Cow’s milk provides 8g of protein per cup – about 60% of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for toddlers and 40% of the RDA for children. In addition, the quality of cow’s milk proteins is high – 20% whey and 80% casein – both of which contain all nine essential amino acids.

“Cow’s milk is also a good source of other nutrients including calcium, iodine and a range of vitamins,” she adds.

The nutritional credentials of oat milk aren’t quite so impressive.

Protein and calcium

Tania Ferraretto, APD, says, “Oat milk contains less protein than cow’s milk. Oat milk is also naturally low in calcium, although some brands fortify their oat milk.”

If you eat dairy, or regularly include other good sources of protein and calcium in your diet, then this isn’t an issue. But for people needing a cow’s milk replacement – such as infants and children who are allergic – oat milk isn’t a nutritionally adequate substitute. 

Catherine Saxelby, accredited nutritionist with Foodwatch (who refers to plant-based milk as ‘mylk’, with a ‘y’, so as to distinguish it from mammalian milk from cows, goats etc.) is of the opinion that it should be called oat water, not oat milk, as it sports only about 10% oats on average. 

“Unless it’s fortified, it’s definitely not for any calcium-requiring teens in your household,” she says.

Fat

Oat milk is lower in fat and saturated fat than cow’s milk, and this can be a selling point for those looking to reduce their fat intake.

But it’s one of the key reasons why oat milk – or indeed reduced-fat cow’s milk and other plant-based milk alternatives – isn’t suitable as the main milk drink for young children, as they need the fat to help meet their energy requirements for healthy development.

Fibre

Fibre content is one area where oat milk trumps cow’s milk nutritionally, and certainly oats are known for being a good source of heart-healthy soluble fibre beta-glucan. So is it truly a perk?

Increasing your beta-glucan intake can certainly be beneficial. Dynan cites a study in men which found that drinking about three cups of oat milk daily over five weeks reduced total blood cholesterol by 3% and “bad” LDL cholesterol by 5%. Another study observed that, on average, consuming 3g of oat beta-glucans daily lowered “bad” LDL blood cholesterol by 5–7%.

“Beta-glucan may also help increase feelings of fullness and lower blood sugar levels after a meal,” she says.

Ferraretto says: “Some oat milks do provide beta-glucan, a fibre which can help lower blood cholesterol and glucose levels.” 

“However, there are other dietary sources of beta-glucan, including rolled oats, oat bran and barley,” she continues.

Saxelby agrees. “If it’s beta-glucan you’re after, you’re better off eating more rolled oats – porridge for breakfast, for example – or using oats or oat bran more in baking.”

Sugar

All of the commercial oat milks we looked at did not contain added sugar (although you can get flavoured varieties that do). That said, oat milk is a naturally sweet drink – it contains up to double the carbohydrates of cow’s milk – which some people might find appealing.

“It has a light, semi-sweet taste, so substitutes well for low-fat or skim milk,” says Saxelby.

Choosing oat milk

If you’re considering oat milk as a replacement for cow’s milk, and not just as a tasty drink, these are our top tips.

• Don’t use it as a complete cow’s milk substitute for children under five years of age – it’s not as nutritious.
• Avoid it if you’re gluten intolerant – it’s not gluten-free.
• Choose a product that’s calcium-fortified. Check the nutrition information panel for products with 120mg calcium per 100mL (the same amount that’s in reduced-fat cow’s milk).
• If you’re lactose intolerant, allergic to dairy milk, or follow a vegan diet, consult with an APD to ensure you’re making the right choice of milk substitute.

Barista oat milk

Oat milk is increasingly being used for making coffee, and baristas are reportedly embracing it – perhaps because its flavour isn’t as dominant (or polarising) as that of soy or almond milk. As one industry source says, “It’s the first non-dairy milk that strikes a harmonious balance with coffee”.

It’s perhaps not surprising that half of the oat milk alternatives we found on supermarket shelves are described as “barista style” or “barista quality”.

Barista versions often cost more than regular oat milks. But do they produce better results for your espresso coffee?

Oatly Oat Milk Barista Edition, for example, claims to be “fully foamable putting you in total control over the density and performance of your foam so you can showcase your latte art skillz”.

For fun, we put Oatly Oat Milk Barista Edition and Oatly Oat Milk Original to the test, and included cow’s milk for comparison.

We poured samples of the three different milks into coded stainless steel jugs, and a ÌÇÐÄVlog test officer (who’s also a trained barista), made us three cups of coffee and gave feedback (without the benefit of knowing which sample was which).

About the barista oat milk, he told us, “It’s obvious from the darker colour that this sample isn’t cow’s milk. It handles well, but the fine bubbles dissipate faster than in cow’s milk, leaving behind a more airy, open foam.”

About the original oat milk, he said, “Again, I can tell by its appearance that this sample isn’t cow’s milk. It’s faster to heat than the other oat milk sample, however, when the foam hits the coffee it spreads quickly and doesn’t hold its pouring pattern as nicely.”

How to make oat milk

With just two ingredients and minimal equipment you can make your own oat milk at home using this simple recipe from ÌÇÐÄVlog home economist Fiona Mair.

Oat milk recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 4 cups water (1L)

Method

• Place oats and water into a blender jug and blend for about 35 seconds. 
• Lay a cloth such as a new Chux over a fine sieve sitting in a bowl or jug, pour in the blended liquid and allow to drip through until liquid flow slows. 
• Picking up all corners of the cloth and securing the contents, gently squeeze by hand to extract the remaining liquid.
• Cover the bowl or jug and chill before serving.

Makes: 800mL (approx.)

Tips

• For best results use a high-performance blender.
• Don’t blend for more than 40 seconds as the liquid will become slimy (too much starch is released, which results in a gummy, gluey texture).
• For additional sweetness and flavour include two pitted dates and/or one teaspoon of vanilla extract before processing.
• Keep refrigerated and shake before serving. 
• Use within 2–3 days. You can tell it’s past its use-by date when it smells sour and becomes slimy.
• Use leftover oat pulp in biscuits, cakes or muffins.

Cheapest oat milk

Assuming you use supermarket-brand rolled oats – and that you already have a high-performance blender, a fine sieve and a stockpile of new Chux cloths at home – our homemade oat milk costs about 20 cents a litre to make (potentially less if you buy your oats in bulk from wholefood stores).

This is significantly cheaper than the $2.80–$2.90 a litre it costs to buy popular oat milk brands Pureharvest and Vitasoy.

But before you ditch store-bought for homemade, there are a few points you might want to consider. 

• If you use other brands or organic versions of oats, your homemade oat milk will cost more (although still not as much as store-bought).
• Arguably commercial products are more convenient, many with a long best-before date, so you can buy in bulk and store for later use.
• Many store-bought options are fortified with calcium, so can be a better option – particularly if you’re using oat milk as a cow’s milk replacement rather than an occasional alternative.

The post Is oat milk good for you? appeared first on ÌÇÐÄVlog.

On this page:

• What are the benefits of almond milk?
• Percentage of almonds: homemade vs store-bought almond milk
• Recipe: How to make almond milk

So is almond milk good for you? How does the almond content of store-bought and homemade almond milk compare? And how do you make your own at home?

Our guide to almond milk will answer these questions and more.

What are the benefits of almond milk?

There are plenty of reasons why people find almond milk appealing. 

• It’s soy, lactose and dairy-free, so it’s suitable for people allergic or intolerant to soy and cow’s milk or who are lactose intolerant, as well as those following a vegan diet.
• Almonds contain heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, and are low in saturated fat.
• Almond milk is naturally low in kilojoules. Unsweetened store-bought almond milk contains just 93kJ (22 calories) per 100mL on average.

If you’re after the most nutritious, there are a few things to consider when choosing store-bought almond milk.

• It’s lower in protein than cow’s milk, although some almond milk products contain ingredients such as soy or pea protein, which boosts their protein content.
• Almost half of the almond milk products we looked at are sweetened – look out for sugar, maltodextrin, agave or rice syrups in the ingredients list.
• It’s not always fortified with calcium, so if you’re using it as an alternative to dairy, look for products with at least 120mg calcium per 100mL (the same amount that’s in reduced fat cow’s milk).

Percentage of almonds: homemade vs store-bought almond milk

When it comes to almond milk, you may not always be getting what you’d expect. Some products contain as little as 2% almonds – a fraction of what you’d include if following a recipe at home using a food processor or dedicated machine, such as the Almond Cow.

The almond content is relevant. If you’re drinking almond milk for the heart-healthy nutrients almonds offer, obviously the higher the almond content the better. But even if you’re only concerned about taste, you still want to know you’re getting value for money.

So how do homemade and commercial almond milks compare?

Homemade almond milk 

To see what you’re getting from a homemade almond milk, we whipped up a batch in the ÌÇÐÄVlog test kitchen following a standard recipe of one part almonds to three parts water (without the optional extras) – an almond content of 25%, in other words.

We used a Thermomix to process it – although you could use any food processor (use the maximum liquid capacity disc attachment to prevent splatter explosions), super blender or all-in-one kitchen machine – then sent the end product to the lab for analysis.

Almonds (with skin on) are 19.7% protein, according to the government’s food composition database. So almond milk made from 25% almonds should contain close to 4.9g protein per 100mL – assuming you’ve managed to extract every skerrick of protein from the pulp before it’s discarded. The lab’s test results showed that our homemade sample contained an impressive 4.8g protein per 100mL.

Store-bought almond milk

In our almond milk comparison we looked at the labelled almond content of 40+ commercial almond milk products and found quite a range: from just above 2% right up to a few that contain around 10%.

If you choose your almond milk based on the stated almond content, we suggest you also check the protein value in the product’s nutrition information panel to see if the numbers add up. If almonds are 19.5% protein, it follows that a product made from 10% almonds should contain close to 2g protein per 100mL, for example. 

Sometimes products contain less (or more) protein than you’d expect, and there are a few reasons why this might be the case.

Occasionally the almond content stated is for ‘activated’ almonds – almonds that have been soaked in water for 12 hours, supposedly to improve the digestibility and nutrition of the nut. But unless the activated almonds are subsequently dehydrated before they’re used to create the almond milk, the ingoing weight of almonds (and therefore the percentage of almond content stated on the label) is inflated by the water absorbed during the activation process.

Variations from the expected protein content can also occur because of the way the almonds are processed, or if other protein sources – oats, soy or pea protein, for example – have been added.

Some store-bought almond milks are also fortified with calcium, which is helpful if you’re buying it as a substitute for cow’s milk.

Value for money

Of course not everyone has the time or the inclination to make their own almond milk. But if you do, is it better value for money? 

To make ours we bought a 500g pack of almonds at our local grocer for $8.99, and the recipe we followed produced just under 700mL of almond milk. Based on these figures, our homemade almond milk cost us around $5.70 per litre. In comparison, the commercial almond milk we looked at ranged from $1.79 to $7.49 per litre, costing a little more than $3.80 per litre on average.

But at 25%, the homemade version’s almond content was significantly higher than that of the commercial products (which tend to be less than 5%). Plus, when you make it yourself you end up with a fresh product, and you can use the leftover almond pulp in cakes, biscuits or muffins so nothing goes to waste. 

Bear in mind that the almond and resulting protein content of homemade milk will also vary depending on the recipe you follow and the equipment you use. And the price will vary depending on the cost of the almonds you use (it’s cheaper if you buy the almonds in bulk). And while some commercial almond milks are fortified with calcium, our homemade version wasn’t. 

Value for money? We’ll let you be the judge.

Recipe: How to make almond milk

A quick online search returns many different recipes for almond milk. This is the one we followed to prepare our sample.

Ingredients

• 220g whole raw almonds
• 660g water, chilled

Method

1. Soak 220g raw almonds in water overnight.
2. Drain almonds, then place with 660g chilled water into your chosen mixing appliance and blend for about two minutes.
3. Pour into a nut bag or muslin cloth over a jug or bowl and squeeze by hand to extract liquid.
4. Chill before serving.

Makes approx. 700mL almond milk

Options and tips

• Include 4 pitted dates and/or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract when processing for additional sweetness and flavour.
• For a whiter milk, remove the skins after soaking overnight, or use blanched almonds instead.
• Keep refrigerated and shake before serving. Use within about three days.
• Use leftover almond pulp in biscuits, cakes or muffins.

The post How to choose the best almond milk appeared first on ÌÇÐÄVlog.

On this page:

• How does it work?
• What does the milk taste like?
• How easy is it to use?
• Almond Cow vs food processor
• Will the Almond Cow save me money?
• Almond milk recipes

Almond milk is one of the most popular plant-based milk alternatives with more than 40 different products available in Aussie supermarkets. But the almond content and percentage of protein in the products can vary.

Making your own almond milk isn’t difficult – you have control over the almond content and can create a more delicious milk that caters to your tastes. Plus, the product is fresh and you can use any leftover pulp to bake muffins and cakes. 

But one of the biggest complaints about DIY almond milk is having to strain the nut bag or muslin cloth to extract the milk after blending, as it can be messy and time-consuming. 

Enter the Almond Cow – a plant-based milk making machine that promises fuss-free almond milk in “less than a minute”. We take a closer look.

How does it work?

The Almond Cow consists of a blender base and head (including a built-in immersion blender), metal filter basket, small plastic container/collector cup  and removable power cord. When assembled, it looks similar to a kettle and is about the same size. 

It has two major selling points: first, it separates the almond milk from the pulp, so you don’t have to spend time squeezing; second, it can make milk in one minute. 

The Almond Cow can also be used to make a variety of plant-based milk alternatives including oat, cashew, coconut, pecan and pistachio. But for the purposes of this review, we’re focusing on almond milk.

What does the milk taste like?

I followed the recipe and instructions that were included in the box, and the result was a fresh-tasting milk with a subtle almond flavour. It was also similar in colour to other homemade or store-bought versions. 

But it was also quite watery – a complaint many other users have raised in the comments section on the Almond Cow website. 

In response, the brand has offered several tips for making creamier milk, such as using warm water, using the collector cup inside the base so you can blend using less water, or running the cycle twice with fresh almonds (leaving the milk in the base of the machine).

I tried each of these methods and although they did make the milk creamier than the original Almond Cow recipe, it wasn’t quite as creamy as the ‘Fiona Mair recipe’ made in a food processor. 

The fact that I had to go through these extra steps to make the milk taste creamier also made me question the ‘quick and easy’ sales pitch of the Almond Cow.

How much almond milk does it make?

Following the original Almond Cow recipe, I ended up with about one litre of milk. 

When I followed the collector cup method (same amount of almonds but less water), I ended up with about 350mL. 

How easy is it to use?

Once I’d added the almonds to the filter basket, I found it difficult to attach the basket to the head, as I couldn’t push the blender blade past the almonds. 

Almond Cow recommends tilting both pieces sideways to get the blender blade in. But it took me longer than I expected to fit it on and I had to jiggle the basket, losing some almonds in the process.

Cleaning

Cleaning the Almond Cow was easier than I expected. I assumed getting the almond pulp out of the metal filter basket would be time-consuming and difficult, but it only needed a rinse and a wipe. That said, you do have to be careful cleaning the blender blade and head, as you can’t get the black ‘head’ wet – that’s where the machine’s ‘engine’ is and it can be damaged by water.

Almond Cow vs food processor

Is an Almond Cow better at making almond milk than a food processor? We made almond milk in both, following the Almond Cow recipe that came with the instructions leaflet. 

Here’s how the two appliances compare. 

±Ê°ù¾±³¦±ðÌý

The Almond Cow costs $252 (US$195) plus shipping and taxes. In our latest food processor review, prices range from $49 up to $999, with 18 models costing less than the Almond Cow. 

We used the Breville BFP660 The Kitchen Wizz 11 food processor, which we already owned, but retails at $370.

Speed

The food processor method took about nine minutes to make almond milk from start to finish, including set-up, blending, squeezing the milk and cleaning the processor. 

The Almond Cow was faster, taking about five minutes from start to finish (including the advertised one minute blending time). 

Ease of use

There were pros and cons to both. 

The Almond Cow lost out to the food processor for ease of set-up due to the difficulty of fitting the filter basket to the blender blade. 

On the other hand, you don’t need to squeeze the almond milk with the Almond Cow, which saves on time and mess. 

Both appliances were equally easy to clean and took roughly the same amount of time to clean. 

Taste

We made the Almond Cow recipe in our food processor (and processed it for one minute, the same time the Almond Cow takes) and ended up with similar-tasting milk that was also quite watery. 

But where the food processor really shines is that you have more control over your recipe and can change the almond-to-water ratio more easily than with the Almond Cow, to make for a creamier milk.

Will the Almond Cow save me money?

The manufacturer itself doesn’t make any claims about the Almond Cow saving you money. But if you go on social media or do a quick Google search, you’ll find many happy owners boasting of how they’ll recoup the cost of the $252 machine in a few months by making their own milk rather than buying it in-store. 

But when we crunched the numbers, these claims didn’t stack up. 

To make our milk in the Almond Cow, we bought an 800g pack of almonds for $16 and the recipe used roughly 185g of almonds to make about one litre of milk. 

Slightly pricier than store-bought milk

Based on these figures, our Almond Cow milk cost us about $3.70. That’s six cents higher than the average cost of store-bought almond milk, making it difficult to recoup the costs of the machine. 

On the upside, using the Almond Cow (or food processor) does leave you with the almond pulp, which you can then use for baking. This means there’s no waste, the pulp is freshly made, you know exactly what’s in it, and you can tailor your recipe to your specific taste. 

You can also use the Almond Cow to make milks out of other nuts, grains and seeds. So although it may not save you money, it’s arguably still good value.

Almond milk recipes

The post Almond Cow review appeared first on ÌÇÐÄVlog.

On this page:

• Who supplies supermarket-brand milk?
• How much do the farmers get paid?
• Does this mean calls for a boycott are misguided?
• This is all very complicated. I just want to help farmers.
• Update: Harris Farm Markets stops selling $1 milk

Update: In December 2016 NSW supermarket Harris Farm Markets announced it would cease selling private label milk for $1 a litre.

Who supplies supermarket-brand milk?

Supermarkets typically sign contracts with processors to supply their stores with house brand (also called private label) milk in individual states. The processor buys the milk from farmers, then processes, packages and delivers it to the supermarkets along with their own labelled brands: well-known names like Devondale, Dairy Farmers and Pauls. A processor that supplies Coles private label milk in one state might supply Woolworths in another.

Brownes

Perth-based company owned by Australian private equity firm Archer Capital, also produces Brownes brand milk.

Murray Goulburn

Australian cooperative with limited listing on ASX, based in Melbourne. Also produces Devondale and Liddells brand milks.

Fonterra

New Zealand cooperative, also produces Riverina Fresh brand milk.

Lion

OIwned by Japanese beverage giant Kirin, also produces Dairy Farmers, Pura and The Complete Dairy brand milks.

Norco

Cooperative based in Lismore, NSW, also produces Norco brand milk.

Parmalat

Italian company owned by French dairy giant Lactalis, also produces Pauls brand milk.

When a processor supplies milk to a supermarket private label, they source the milk from the same farms as their own branded products. The milk goes through the same processes in the factory. When it comes to full cream milk, at any rate, there’s no real difference between the two.

How much do the farmers get paid?

The farm gate milk price (FMP) is the amount the processor pays the farmers for their milk. A farmer gets paid the same regardless of whether their product becomes drinking milk, yoghurt or milk powder. But beyond that, just about everything else is variable, and it’s not always clear exactly how much money the farmer is getting for your litre of milk. Even farmers have trouble figuring out the complex payment systems.

“Dairy processors send letters to all their suppliers to let them know their opening milk prices, but these are far too complicated for anyone to decipher,” Adam Jenkins, president of United Dairyfarmers of Victoria, said in June.

“We’ve been calling for transparency around the weighted average milk price system for the last three years, because a significant portion of the industry receives substantially less than the weighted average price.”

Different states, different payments

In fact, most farmers don’t get paid by the litre. In Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania – home to nearly 80% of the country’s dairy farms – suppliers usually get paid according to the fat and protein content – or milk solids – in the milk. This reflects the fact that the southern district has traditionally been linked to the commodity and export market. About 40% of the milk produced in Australia goes into export products – mostly butter, cheese and especially milk powder.

The price per kilogram of milk solids (KgMS) is between 13 or 14 times that of the price per litre of liquid milk – protein and fat make up just under one-fourteenth of the content. So, Murray Goulburn’s 2016-17 forecast average price of $4.80/KgMS comes in at about 37c/L. Fonterra’s forecast average, $4.75/KgMS, is about 38c/L. Lion is estimating a year-end average of $5.67/KgMS (about 44c/L).

Of course, this doesn’t take into account the variations in milk solid content from farm to farm, and even month to month on the same farm. Significant factors include the cattle breed and the amount of feed the cows get throughout the season.

In NSW, Queensland and Western Australia, farmers tend to get paid in the more familiar cents-per-litre. But even then it’s not that simple. The cost of producing and transporting milk varies depending on location, which affects how much a processor might pay. They might also offer a premium in a region if there is competition from another buyer. It’s a situation that plays out across the country, with deals and discounts specific to each processor, making it difficult for consumers to figure out just how much the dairy farmer is getting paid for their product.

Falling demand for export

In recent months, processors Murray Goulburn and Fonterra have been in the news for slashing their FMP. But it isn’t drinking milk at the root of the crisis. Both companies have a strong focus on the export market, so they’ve been exposed to the worldwide glut in dairy production. Demand hasn’t kept up with supply, leading to a precipitous drop in prices. Meanwhile, companies that are more closely linked to the local milk market – like Lion (which makes Dairy Farmers) and Norco – have been less severely affected by global markets, and their FMPs have remained relatively steady. So when it comes to this latest crisis, $1 milk isn’t actually a major cause.

Does this mean calls for a boycott are misguided?

Not according to everyone. Some farmer groups have railed against cheap milk ever since Coles fired the first shot in the milk wars in 2011. “Australian Dairy Farmers has long advocated that $1 litre milk is unsustainable, and we maintain this position,” said a spokesperson for the group. “Farmers need to be paid a fair price for their product.”

Slowly but surely, the name brands’ market share is eroding. The retail price of branded milk is declining as processors try to compete on price. A 2010 Senate inquiry heard evidence of a market practice called “waterbedding”. Because the margins on supermarket milk can be low, processors can offset this by increasing the price of things like cheese, yoghurt and butter. At the end of the day, so the argument goes, all of this leads to less money flowing back to the dairy farmers.

On the other hand, some processors that have secured supermarket supply contracts have been vocal about how this has helped them expand. Last year, Norco CEO Brett Kelly credited his cooperative’s deal with Coles with an unprecedented earnings growth, allowing the business to move into the Chinese market. By the same token, the security that comes with Murray Goulburn and Fonterra’s contracts to supply milk for Coles, Woolworths and Aldi would have certainly helped absorb the blow of the global downturn, possibly even propping up their FMP.

This is all very complicated. I just want to help farmers.

If you’re concerned about supporting farmers, boycotting supermarket brand milk probably isn’t the way to go about it. Keep in mind that when you pay more for branded milk, a chunk of the price goes to the processor’s marketing budget, which only helps farmers indirectly.

There are a number of ways you can make sure your dairy decisions best support Australian farmers.

Update: Harris Farm Markets stops selling $1 milk

In December 2016, boutique supermarket chain Harris Farm Markets stopped selling $1 per litre milk, and announced a deal with Norco to supply milk under the new “Farmer Friendly Milk” label. CEO Tristan Harris believes his customers will be happy to accept a 14.5% price hike if the extra money goes to dairy farmers.

“We are charging $2.29 for two litres of milk. We still believe this represents great value for customers but not at the expense of farmers,” Harris said.

“As a family-owned business we knew we wanted to make a difference where we do have control, and after seeing the uproar from farmers, advocates and the public on $1 per litre milk earlier this year, we were compelled to change our approach to milk.”

In September 2016 Harris expressed his frustration at the lack of price transparency in the industry. “As a retailer we now find it difficult to find any supply that gives certainty that farmers are not being held over a barrel,” he said in a submission to the Senate inquiry to the dairy industry. “We also fear that the milk we are selling is coming from farmers who are underpaid regardless of how much we pay for the product.”

Harris said that the new deal will allow the supermarket to return 95% of the retail price (about $1.09/L) to the processor. Norco, a farmer-owned co-operative, pays up to 57c per litre of milk at the farm gate, in addition to profits it shares among its producers.

Are the supermarket giants trying to help dairy farmers?

Coles began selling milk in Victoria under the “Farmers’ Fund” brand in 2016. Sourced from Murray Goulburn, the same processor which delivers Coles’ private label $1 milk, Farmers’ Fund milk retails for $1.25/L. Revenue from the 25% price premium goes to the Victorian Farmers’ Federation, which offers dairy farmers grants of up to $20,000 to grow and innovate their business. Coles also operates similar funds with industry groups in Western Australia and South Australia.

In the eastern mainland states and Western Australia, Woolworths sells “Farmers Own” brand milk for between $1.50 and $1.73 per litre. For this product Woolworths negotiated supply contracts with collectives of dairy farmers, bypassing the major milk processors like Lion and Parmalat. The supermarket won’t reveal how much it pays these producers except to say that it is a premium over the average farm-gate price.

The post What $1 milk means for the dairy industry appeared first on ÌÇÐÄVlog.