Danone: Sourcing Local Oats for Alpro Oat Milk in Britain
Oat milk production uses less water and produces less emissions than cow milk according to research from Oxford University.
Danone’s brand Alpro is looking to reduce this drink’s impact even further in the UK, sourcing 100% British oats.
Danone has invested US$51m into Alpro’s Kettering facility in the UK.
Hannah Cornick, Head of Sustainability and Social Innovation at Danone UK & Ireland, says: “Reducing our impact on nature is a key part of our Danone Impact Journey, so it’s really encouraging to see the real-world benefits of our move to local sourcing and new recipes.
“Whilst our oat drinks already provided shoppers with a lower-carbon option, we’re pleased our recent actions have reduced this environmental impact even further.
“Our shift to 100% British Oats, combined with a new production process that requires less energy and less water, has been a valuable investment that ultimately allows us to deliver a healthy, tasty product to our customers in a more sustainable way.
“We continue to innovate and look for ways we can reduce our impact so we can deliver more for people and the planet.”
How Alpro’s sustainability impact?
Alpro says that moving to locally sourced oats along with a new production process in the UK has, on average, delivered significant changes:
- 25% lower carbon footprint
- 20% reduction in land use
- 70% reduction in water use across the product lifecycle vs Alpro’s previous Oat Original & No Sugars 1 litre drink recipes in the UK.
A lifecycle assessment was conducted by Foodsteps and found that the move equates to an estimated 6000 tonne reduction in Alpro’s carbon footprint in 2025.
Alpro’s new oat flour provider, Navara Oat Mill, is near the Alpro factory and it sources its oats mostly from within an 80-mile radius of the mill.
This helps to significantly reduce food miles and, as a result, carbon emissions.
Mark Bristow, Quality and Food Safety Director at Danone, says: “Until now, only 1% of oat drink on the market has been guaranteed to be from British crops.
“Our move to local sourcing will significantly increase the number of homegrown options for shoppers.”
What is in Alpro’s UK oat drink?
The ingredients in Alpro’s no sugar oat drink include:
- Water
- Oats
- Sunflower oil
- Soluble corn fibre
- Calcium
- Sea salt
- Stabiliser (gellan gum)
- Potassium iodide
- Vitamins B2 and D2
Alpro says that the key benefits to the drink is that it is naturally lactose free, low in fat, has no added sugars, is a source of fibre, a source of calcium and a source of vitamin D.
What else has Danone been doing?
Danone has done a variety of work in sustainability including, extending its existing business relationship for the supply of dairy ingredients, with the agreement to aim to reduce on-farm emissions by approximately 50% by 2030.
The project involves installing BioFiltro’s wastewater treatment technology on a dairy farm in California, US.
Danone has also announced that it entered a new phase into its investment in Danone’s Digital Lab in Singapore.
The next step will accelerate the capabilities in digital science, data analytics and AI driven health solutions.
As well as the launch of its “Iron up!” programme, accelerating its efforts in the fight against iron deficiency anaemia.
The company hopes it will positively impact the health of young children around the world impacted by iron deficiency anaemia.
Katrien Van Laere, Senior Vice-President R&I Chief Scientific and Medical officer, Danone says: “At Danone we are convinced nutrition can make a positive, proven difference to health especially in those early years”
“For years, we have been committed to addressing iron deficiency anaemia contributing to the screening of over 1.5 million children to date.
“With Iron Up! we are scaling our impact by combining science-based innovation, deep nutritional expertise, and strong partnerships to reach more children and help them thrive.”
