Repeatedly impregnated, their bodies weak: the horrible cruelty of cows' milk

“Yeah, just regular milk, please.” I couldn't believe my ears. Sitting in a café with a friend who must be one of the first vegans I had ever met, leading the charge 10 years ago back before it was cool, she had just ordered a latte with cows’ milk. “Oh did I not tell you,” she said. “I recently switched back to dairy.”

While I was particularly surprised at this once diehard vegan’s Damascene conversion, she is not alone in returning to old-fashioned cows’ milk. After reaching peak popularity a few years ago, it seems that plant-based milks are falling out of favour, particularly among Gen Z. As one friend summed it up: “Dairy is the new hot girl milk”. 

And it’s not just , but specifically whole fat dairy milk that is making a comeback amongst younger generations. In the three months to February, sales of whole milk in the UK were up two per cent compared with the same time period last year – a seemingly modest increase, but one which equates to millions more litres consumed. According to a survey conducted in 2023, with those under 35 being the most inclined to do so.