Consumers across the US and beyond are already well acquainted with plant-based dairy products. From the first commercial soy milk facility in 1917 in New York to Sweden’s Oatly oat milk taking coffee shop culture by storm, consumers worldwide have demonstrated an almost singular openness to experimenting with plant-based substitutes. Now experimentation is beginning to expand beyond the grocery store milk aisle to all aspects of dairy and egg products. 

Plant-based dairy and egg products currently under development incorporate a broad range of ingredients, including peas, mung beans, soybeans, chickpeas, almonds, coconut, sunflowers, potatoes, and sesame, among others. These alternatives are vying to replace traditional cheese, yogurt, ice cream, butter, spreads, and creamers, while a wave of new startups are attempting to produce a substitute for chicken eggs. 

This revolution is being driven by an increasing focus on health, animal welfare, and climate change. Outbreaks of zoonotic diseases, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the African swine fever, have also drawn attention to the growing animal-free food production industry, with plant-based foods taking center stage. 

In addition, there have also been recent developments in the field of cell-cultured milk production, with a handful of companies leveraging on cellular agriculture to not only develop sustainable alternatives to cow’s milk but also human breast milk. These products have not been commercialized as yet, and need to overcome regulatory hurdles as well as cost implications before reaching the market.