Various types of plant milk

South Africans Encouraged to Rethink Dairy this World Plant Milk Day

From soy to oat, plant-based milks offer Mzansi a kinder, climate-smart alternative for your morning coffee, cereal, or smoothie

11.8.2025

Cape Town, 11 August 2025 — In celebration of World Plant Milk Day on 22 August, FOUR PAWS is urging South Africans to make the switch from cow’s milk to one of the many plant-based milk alternatives now widely available across the country. As concerns grow around the environmental and ethical impacts of dairy farming, plant-based milks present an easy, affordable and compassionate solution.

“South Africans are already embracing meat-free Mondays, flexitarian diets and conscious living. Swapping dairy milk for oat, soy or almond milk in your morning rooibos, cereal or smoothie is a simple step with powerful impact, for your health, for the planet, and for animals.” 

Fiona Miles, Director of FOUR PAWS South Africa

FOUR PAWS highlights that dairy production in South Africa and around the world contributes significantly to climate change, deforestation, and animal suffering. Cows in industrial dairy systems are repeatedly impregnated, separated from their calves, and often live in confined conditions to maximise milk production.

According to the Planetary Health Diet, developed by global scientists to balance human and environmental health, the world should consume no more than 15.7 kg of meat per person per year. However, we surpassed that limit globally by 19 June 2025, now dubbed Meat Exhaustion Day. While South Africa’s average meat and dairy consumption remains lower than the Global North, our dietary trends are moving in the wrong direction. 

“We must protect the healthier, more plant-forward traditions in many South African communities. If we follow high-income countries down the path of overconsumption, we’ll end up paying with our health, our climate, and our conscience.”

Fiona Miles, Director of FOUR PAWS South Africa

Thanks to a growing demand for plant-based options, local retailers and cafés now offer a wide range of delicious, fortified milk alternatives also available at major retailers nationwide and online stores.

Why Make the Switch?

  • Kindness: No animals are harmed in the production of plant milks.
  • Sustainability: Oat milk, for instance, uses just 48 litres of water per litre, compared to hundreds for cow’s milk.
  • Nutrition: Fortified plant milks often match dairy for calcium, B12, and vitamin D, without cholesterol or growth hormones.
  • Taste: Whether it’s a foamy cappuccino, overnight oats, or pap and plant milk, there’s a flavour and consistency for every lifestyle.

“Living kinder isn’t about perfection, it’s about progress. Every time we choose a plant-based product, we’re reducing demand for factory farming and building a more compassionate food system for South Africa.”

Fiona Miles, Director of FOUR PAWS South Africa

Take the First Step

FOUR PAWS invites the public to celebrate World Plant Milk Day by trying something new: ask your favourite café for oat milk in your coffee, pour soy or almond milk over your granola, or bake a malva pudding with coconut milk. Small actions add up. “South Africans are changemakers,” Miles adds. “We’ve led social movements before, now let’s lead the movement towards conscious eating. Your next glass of milk can be a vote for a better world.”

For more information, please visit: www.four-paws.org.za

/ENDS

FOUR PAWS in South Africa on Social Media

Stay up to date on this topic and on all FOUR PAWS activities on our social media channels:

or subscribe to FOUR PAWS in South Africa newsletter.

FOUR PAWS is the global animal welfare organisation for animals under direct human influence, which reveals suffering, rescues animals in need and protects them. Founded in 1988 in Vienna by Heli Dungler and friends, the organisation advocates for a world where humans treat animals with respect, empathy and understanding. The sustainable campaigns and projects of FOUR PAWS focus on companion animals including stray dogs and cats, farm animals and wild animals – such as bears, big cats and orangutans – kept in inappropriate conditions as well as in disaster and conflict zones. With offices in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Kosovo, the Netherlands, Switzerland, South Africa, Thailand, Ukraine, the UK, the USA and Vietnam as well as sanctuaries for rescued animals in eleven countries, FOUR PAWS provides rapid help and long-term solutions. www.four-paws.org.za 

Share now!

Search