The farmer wakes up early and walks out to the almond barn to shovel fertilizer around the base of each tree. He then walks over and using a miniature milking harness attaches it to the bottom of each almond on the branch of every tree in the barn. After about 15 minutes, the harness detaches after each almond has produced a few drops of Grade A, almond milk.

That’s how almond milk is harvested right?

Or maybe almond ‘milk’ is not the correct name, and a more accurate one is ‘almond squishings’ with 98% purified water.

What’s the big deal? It’s a white liquid and it’s in the dairy aisle of my grocery store, right?

Wrong. Dairy milk is harvested from a lactating bovine and is packed with nutrients. The basic breakdown of dairy milk components is protein, carbohydrates, fats, minerals and a plethora of other nutrients the body needs to grow.

There are only two almonds in each glass of almond milk, which is why it is only 80 calories per serving. There is nothing wrong with drinking almond milk, as it is a great dietary substitute for people with restricted diets. It indeed does have some of the essential nutrients the body needs, but a consumer would need to drink the entire cartoon to see significant nutritional benefits.

The issue is in the naming. Almond milk is riding the popularity and brand recognition of dairy milk and marketing itself as a nondairy alternative. It is buying shelf space right next to the dairy products in the grocery stores and converting customers over, but at what cost? If consumers purchasing the product think that is has the same nutritional value as dairy milk, they are ultimately being swindled

The only thing that society can do is become informed. Almond milk does have some benefits, like blood pressure and hormone regulation and it can be a healthy choice for restricted diets, but let’s be clear.

Almond milk is not ‘milk’. If you want the powerhouse nutrition of whole milk, you will not get it from a glass of 98% purified water and two almonds.

By Brett Roeller
Director of National Accounts, QualiTru Sampling Systems
brett@qualitru.com   Follow Brett on LinkedIn