Oatly: the truth behind the brand

Photo Source: https://unsplash.com/@yapics

Throughout the past few months milk alternatives have become all the rage. Across the world people are ditching their cow’s milk for almond, oat, cashew or even hemp seed milk. Milk alternatives have been around for years, in fact the popular oat milk brand Oatly was created back in 1994. By a scientist in Sweden who had read about the harms of cow’s milk. Although brands like Oatly have been stocked on shelves for some time, it wasn’t until around 2018 when milk alternative sales really skyrocketed.

These milks are great for those who have lactose intolerance or are vegan. They also help immensely in decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. The issue is that in order for these milks to reach that creamy texture we all love, there are a lot of additives needed. An article published by Almanack in 2020 called “ Oatly is the New Diet Coke” has recently resurfaced on the internet. After Oatly buyer @keccers tweeted a quote from the article early April. The article talks about how Oatly uses mind tricking marketing tactics in order to persuade consumers that it is “healthy” when its products are healthy when they are really full of additives.

Many of those additives are difficult for your body to digest and have harmful effects on your health. One of them specifically is rapeseed/canola oil, although commonly used in baking recipes it isn’t something you should be having daily. Yes, this oil has Omega-3’s in it, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it is healthy. A majority of the facts and statistics in this article came from Food Entrepreneur Jeff Nobbs who did research on the product. Nobbs says that saying Oatly is healthy is “like saying cake is a great source of calcium”. It is highly processed nature makes it hard to digest and may cause those who consume it inflammation and organ damage. So why does Oatly use it? According to Nobbs it's one of the cheapest edible oils on the market, which is why it's so common amongst processed foods these days.

Another major point of false advertising is the sugars in Oatly. It is not only the amount of sugar to be concerned about, but the type as well. There are several different types of sugar, sucrose, glucose, fructose and in Oatlys’ case maltose. In Natalie’s piece she compares these high sugar levels to that of Coke. Maltose is the sugar highest on the glycemic index, scoring a 105 out of 100. Oatly has tricked us into thinking that with less grams of sugar than your typical cow’s milk, its product is better, but plot twist! It’s different kinds of sugars.

We’re not saying that you absolutely need to cut Oatly out of your daily routine, but it doesn’t need to be your only milk alternative. We get it, it's cheap, tastes delicious and froths better than creamer. Next time you go to the grocery store consider buying other brands of milk alternatives like Malk or Elmhurst. These contain three or less ingredients and we think they taste even better.