Is Potato Milk The Next Non-Dairy Milk Trend?
Non-dairy milk is a food trend that has completely taken the world by storm in the last decade or so. There was once a time when a person ordering soy milk in their coffee at a café might’ve drawn a bit of a mocking reaction from others; “Oh, look at you with your fancy soy milk. Regular milk not good enough for you???”. Nowadays, it’s so incredibly normal that the inverse might be more common; “Wow, you still drink COW milk? Are you a baby cow?!”.
OK, we’re not there yet and look, we’re not here to judge. Everyone has their own tastes, but the reality is more and more people are making the switch and, as a result, the list of alternative non-dairy options only seems to grow with every passing year. And for those not satisfied with any of the myriad of alternative options currently available at our supermarkets and grocers, you might be in luck, as it appears that yet another version might be headed our way in the near future.
For the latest version of alternative milk, the food scientists have turned to what is widely regarded as the world’s most versatile crop; the potato. That’s right, the potato has been reinvented once again, this time in the form of a milk substitute that is already drawing a lot of attention after hitting supermarket shelves in the United Kingdom earlier this month.
Swedish brand Dug are the pioneers leading the way, with their original, unsweetened and barista products finding its way into 220 Waitrose supermarkets across Britain and the reaction has been mostly positive, leading to speculation as to whether the unique product could find its way to Countdowns, New Worlds or Pak‘nSaves in New Zealand sooner rather than later.
One of the main selling points of potato milk is its significantly lower environmental production impact, as potatoes as a crop have a much smaller footprint than dairy, are more efficient to grow than oats, and require less water than nut-based alternatives like almond milk. As for the nutritional value, judging off of Dug’s statistics (as they are really the only major supplier on the market thus far), potato milk is pretty much on par with alternative plant-based milk in terms of fat and sugar content, though slightly lower in protein than your typical soy or almond-based formula.
As for the all important taste? Well, if you as ask the makers themselves, Dug’s formula is designed to have a ‘neutral taste’ making it ideal for tea and coffee, but reports have already bubbled up about some customers complaining of a ‘saline aftertaste’, which doesn’t make it sound all too appetising. But hey, ultimately, we won’t know until we get to try for ourselves if/when Dug or another potato milk provider makes the move to sell on our shores.
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