Added costs for plant milks

[Rizzoli123]

Why is it when I go out and have a hot chocolate and have oat milk or coconut milk there is an added fee. I know it costs more to produce but if I brought a normal coffee which was say 5.00 a week. This is with normal milk. For one made from coconut milk it would add and extra 2.25 in to the bill,.

Why is it that people say that lots of people are embracing vegansim and making changes to their diet to include more plant based foods.

I know their is a cost as less people drink it but why so high

Am. I being unreasonable to ask for the same consideration as soya milk which is free in many places.

(I don't like soya milk)
(I have the milk sachets to take for tea but can't use them for hot chocolate)

Also (and mainly) because they can as it’s “trendy”.

It certainly adds up. Dd is vegan and also has coeliac disease and the cost of gluten free food is eye watering. Both in the supermarkets and when eating out. A gluten free pizza will often be a couple of £ more as well as being smaller.

If you’re finding it that hard to comprehend why things are priced the way they are perhaps you should look at doing a course in economics?

Butterfly, bit snippy, people are allowed to ask about something without doing a degree in it ffs

having to invest in more equipment so they don't use the same milk jugs / higher wastage

Most of the chains don't reserve different wands/milk jugs for different milks. Worth being aware of if you have allergies

I own a cafe. Plant milks cost us 4 x as much as cows milk. We therefore have to charge extra for it.

having to invest in more equipment so they don't use the same milk jugs / higher wastage

Most of the chains don't do this, so something to be aware of if you have allergies.

Emmetgirl, yes I think we understand that, but why is it so expensive

Oops, forgot to add my bit.

Yes, friend had an allergic reaction from cross contamination with nut milk in a coffee shop

I have allergies to both soya and milk, it's very common to have both.

I wouldn't hugely mind paying an extra 25-50p for 'frothed' drinks that take a lot of milk. But cross contamination means I can't have those drinks.

I have to had a tea or black coffee with a splash of cold oat milk. And I do begrudge paying 50p for a tiny dash of oat milk.

Recently I was at a cafe and they had run out of normal milk and said I’d have to have an alternative. Fair enough, but I was really annoyed they charged me 40p extra for something i didn’t want.

@CovidCorvid

Recently I was at a cafe and they had run out of normal milk and said I’d have to have an alternative. Fair enough, but I was really annoyed they charged me 40p extra for something i didn’t want.

Well that's not ok

@CovidCorvid that's cheeky fuckery right there.

As to the reasons why it's more expensive, I'm really not sure how posters could explain this more simply. Perhaps visual aids.

I only buy dairy free drinks( not vegan, can’t tolerate dairy milk) so haven’t noticed the difference in prices.
I’ll check next time I get my latte but dairy-free milk is more expensive than dairy milk so I guess that’s that.

I suppose milk

I'm fed up of being taken the mickey out of like the post before my last

I think for a splash in an Americano it may be more debatable; but for a hot chocolate or a latte its mainly milk so YABU sorry.

Oats have gone up in price recently too so that might have something to do with it.

Have you ever seen the tiny udders on a oat it's a highly skilled job milking a oat.

@Runningwithoutstopping

Have you ever seen the tiny udders on a oat it's a highly skilled job milking a oat.

@Rizzoli123

I'm fed up of being taken the mickey out of like the post before my last

Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer I guess, OP.

I agree. I could understand perhaps a 10p extra charge to cover costs, but even then I think it is excessive considering you pay £3 for a drink. At 50p they recoup that cost to them with each drink!!. I am lactose intolerant so for health reasons need oat/soya replacement. It's annoying it's treated differently to see gluten free food replacement which would be charged at same price (i.e. pizza). It's not just about people being vegan!!!

@Silentnight87

I agree. I could understand perhaps a 10p extra charge to cover costs, but even then I think it is excessive considering you pay £3 for a drink. At 50p they recoup that cost to them with each drink!!. I am lactose intolerant so for health reasons need oat/soya replacement. It's annoying it's treated differently to see gluten free food replacement which would be charged at same price (i.e. pizza). It's not just about people being vegan!!!

So you want them to keep what 5 or 6 alternative milks, which cost around 4x as much as cows milk, take up valuable chiller space and charge you a tiny amount because it feels a bit unfair?

Trust me, 10p won't cover costs.

I've never run a restaurant - or even worked in a coffee shop - in my life. But even I can see that is not going to be economically viable.

And at a time when loads of coffee shops have had their profits absolutely decimated by Covid, it seems rather churlish to boot.

@Meloncurse

having to invest in more equipment so they don't use the same milk jugs / higher wastage

Most of the chains don't do this, so something to be aware of if you have allergies.

Most chains use different milk jugs for cow, oat (not gluten free) and other dairy free milks and clean down the spouts on the machine.