The data also indicates that the number of consumers exclusively buying plant-based milk products has barely changed in the last two years. In the 2024-25 surveyed period, just 2.1 per cent of Australian shoppers purchased only plant-based alternatives, a negligible increase of 0.1 per cent from the previous year. This confirms the sentiments of farmers like WA Farmers dairy council president Ian Noakes, who noted that the publicity around these products isn’t matched by their actual popularity in supermarket aisles.

While exclusive consumption of plant-based beverages remains low, the statistics do show a growing group of dual-product shoppers. The data revealed that 42.4 per cent of Australians purchased both dairy milk and plant-based alternatives in 2024-25, an increase from 41.4 per cent in the previous period. Despite this, Dairy Australia senior analyst Eliza Redfern noted that plant-based beverages still represent a modest 10 per cent of the total milk market volume.

Industry leaders, including United Dairyfarmers of Victoria president Bernie Free, have been quick to highlight the nutritional advantages of dairy. Free argued that consumers focused on health are recognizing that many plant-based beverages are not as healthy, often requiring added colorings and flavors to improve palatability, making them less natural. This sentiment is reinforced by Dairy Australia’s outgoing managing director, David Nation, who noted that the momentum for plant-based beverages has “weakened” or “stabilised” after years of consistent growth in the 2010s.