Milk that has its source in soil: The growing popularity of 'vegan milk'

In India, vegan milk has managed to carve out a niche market though the country, being the world's largest producer of dairy milk, has copious milk supplies

A novel class of plant-based beverages, mimicking normal milk and termed fancifully, yet aptly, “vegan milk”, are steadily gaining popularity the world over, including India. Dairymen are, however, reluctant to equate them with bovine milk, which, they maintain, has some unmatchable attributes. Made from a variety of plant sources, such as soybean, almond, rice, cashew, oat, coconut, walnut, peanut, and hemp seed, these fabricated milk substitutes are deemed suitable for people suffering from lactose intolerance, allergy to dairy milk, or high blood cholesterol, which exacerbates the risk of heart ailments and strokes. These are also preferred to regular milk by