Non-dairy milk

In 1999, only the products of giant agrifood business Archer Daniels Midland, which makes the Granose and White Wave brands, stood out as the bad buys. All the other companies on the table were smaller firms with largely clear records.

Consolidation in the market means that the choices are no longer so clear-cut. The purchase of brands like Rice Dream and Lima by Hain Celestial and the growth of Provamel/Alpro’s owner Vandemoortele means that these health food companies have started to pick up marks for animal rights criticisms like selling meat and fish.

In addition, this time we have looked at the supply chain policies of the companies, since the sourcing of soya has been the subject of increasing social and environmental controversy. Unfortunately, few of the companies covered come out well in terms of their environmental reporting or implementation of supply chain policies, suggesting that even companies with strong ethical focuses on veganism or health are not engaging publicly with their wider responsibilities. Plamil was one exception, being a small company with a commitment to premium prices for producers, while Oat Supreme, Tiger White and Sojasun came out well because their raw materials came from European sources.