Delta Air Lines Becomes First Major Airline To Make Oat Milk Creamer Available on All US Flights

The move shows just how mainstream dairy-free milks have become, with the likes of oat, soy, and rice milk known to be more planet- and animal-friendly than dairy milk.

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Credit: Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines will now offer passengers oat milk creamer, making it the first major airline to offer dairy-free creamer on all flights departing from the US.

Oat milk has become known for its creamy taste in hot drinks, and for being a more environmentally-friendly choice than cow’s milk, which requires the mass farming of dairy cows to produce.

The airline says the Lakeland Dairies oat milk creamer is now available on all domestic flights, short-haul international flights and all international flights departing from the U.S.

Plant milks have become increasingly popular with consumers, particular in coffee chains, where the likes of Starbucks offer soy milk, coconut milk, almond milk, and oat milk. Peet’s Coffee, which has over 300 locations in the U.S., recently revealed that more than 34 percent of the total milk used at Peet's is non-dairy.

Why Switch Dairy Milk for Oat Milk?

Animal welfare concerns have played a part in the increased uptake of dairy-free milks. Animal advocates say that the dairy industry is a product of cruelty, in which female cows are repeatedly impregnated to continuously produce milk. Within hours of each birth, the newborn calf will typically be removed from their mother so that the milk can be taken and sold to humans instead.

The negative environmental impact of dairy has also been increasingly well publicized. The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) estimates that 14.5 percent of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are due to livestock farming. These emissions are largely carbon dioxide and methane, which are two of the largest contributors to global warming. Within this statistic, cattle - farmed to produce beef and dairy products - are responsible for 65 percent of emissions.

This growing knowledge of the impact of meat and dairy on the environment has led to an increased popularity of more planet-friendly food choices, with more and more companies and public institutions making simple plant-based swaps to help lower carbon emissions.

Earlier this year, global retail giant IKEA announced plans to “remove or replace” dairy products as part of the brand’s commitment to become more sustainable. IKEA is one of the world’s largest food providers, serving food to over 500 million customers last year in its global restaurants, bistors, and stores in 2022. 

In the corporate world, companies like LinkedIn are among those trialing a plant-based push in offices to help lower its carbon footprint. The company’s sustainability scheme makes its office food menu 65 percent plant-based, and makes oat milk the default in coffee.

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