This plant based fad...

[Oh_hunnihunni]

...is getting silly. Stuff is wondering if Whittakers is going to do a plant based milk chocolate. Chocolate is plant based. So is milk. Grass to cow to milk. Plant based. So is the cow, so burgers are plant based. People are plant based. Air is plant based. Every bloody thing is plant based.

Almost.

[Lilith7]

A DIL, Sweetie darling & a granddaughter have all gone vegan; it wasn't much of a change for DIL & granddaughter as they were already vegetarian but was for sweetie darling & his Dr is very pleased about it, because it lowered his cholesterol.
Another grandson is now vegetarian, (possibly due to having worked in a butcher shop while at Uni) & I'm not altogether sure that it is just a fad - it might be, & time will tell but I think people across the world are slowly becoming more aware of not just the damage to the planet from some farming practices, but also the cruelty often involved in it.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Well, if it increases our respect for plants as living beings then that'd be a good thing. But then someone is bound to point out the cruelty of exploiting another species group...

[king1]

Love a decent Steak...

[undercoverhippycop]

People that eat processed packaged foods and consume sugar are not very smart by today's standards.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Sugar is plant based...

I would point out though that predators eat meat. And predators are usually a bit brighter than their herbivore prey...

[harm_less]

...is getting silly. Stuff is wondering if Whittakers is going to do a plant based milk chocolate. Chocolate is plant based. So is milk. Grass to cow to milk. Plant based. So is the cow, so burgers are plant based. People are plant based. Air is plant based. Every bloody thing is plant based.

Almost.

Moving away from dairy based ingredients is more than just going "plant based". There's plenty of us who avoid dairy because the proteins in it cause us real health issues. A snack of cheese, cream enhanced dip or curry, or milk chocolate results in arthritic pain the following day so if Whittakers do move into non-dairy 'milk' chocolate it will be giving many people access to a treat they are otherwise denied. A good boost to their potential customer base too I would think so smart marketing and not only to those of vegan leanings.

Just so long as Whittakers remain soy free (another intolerance) they will see our supermarket spend increase on their products.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Probably, but then doing without milk chocolate isn't that hard really. Not like giving up tea, for example...

[harm_less]

Probably, but then doing without milk chocolate isn't that hard really. Not like giving up tea, for example...

But there's plenty of consumers that would like to enjoy something that is denied them by health issues and are happy to pay for that enjoyment. I suspect Whittakers have identified that market sector, they're pretty clever like that.

So, you drink your tea black I take it? Or if not you would you be prepared to spend extra on dairy free whitener if you needed to?

[Lilith7]

Sugar is plant based...

I would point out though that predators eat meat. And predators are usually a bit brighter than their herbivore prey...

I remember reading somewhere that when pulled from the ground, radishes emit what was called an 'electronic scream'.

It could probably be taken to ridiculous extremes where all we'd ever eat would be fallen fruit, but I doubt anyone wants to go there.

[Olive]

Lilith7

Sugar is plant based...

I would point out though that predators eat meat. And predators are usually a bit brighter than their herbivore prey...

"It could probably be taken to ridiculous extremes where all we'd ever eat would be fallen fruit, but I doubt anyone wants to go there. "


Or just eat dead insects,  but that might deprive the soil of  nutrition.

I am a serious omnivore, the only things I don't eat are the gluten-bearing grains (wheat, rye, barley).  I totally empathise with people who have food intolerances, especially dairy, but my belief is that we have evolved to become the top of the food chain because we are omnivorous.   The only reason that I would become vegan is the animal cruelty aspect, and once you start looking at the effects on animal life of various crops and the processes that are needed to keep them weeded and harvested, then there is  cruelty everywhere.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Probably, but then doing without milk chocolate isn't that hard really. Not like giving up tea, for example...

But there's plenty of consumers that would like to enjoy something that is denied them by health issues and are happy to pay for that enjoyment. I suspect Whittakers have identified that market sector, they're pretty clever like that.

So, you drink your tea black I take it? Or if not you would you be prepared to spend extra on dairy free whitener if you needed to?

I like a splash of plant based cow juice, from the glass bottle in my fridge. Freshly made up each day from Fonterra's best skim powder! 

It's good for my bone density.

[harm_less]

But there's plenty of consumers that would like to enjoy something that is denied them by health issues and are happy to pay for that enjoyment. I suspect Whittakers have identified that market sector, they're pretty clever like that.

So, you drink your tea black I take it? Or if not you would you be prepared to spend extra on dairy free whitener if you needed to?

I like a splash of plant based cow juice, from the glass bottle in my fridge. Freshly made up each day from Fonterra's best skim powder! 

It's good for my bone density.

You missed/conveniently ignored my point completely.

To put it more simply, if you developed an intolerance to your dairy input would you substitute with a (potentially more expensive) substitute or would do without your milk because it "isn't that hard really".

[Oh_hunnihunni]

I was talking about chocolate. Chocolate is an optional, not a necessity. And no, I would just go American and live on those addictive coffee sachets with all that processed stuff in it. And I would add chocolate dust.

Because I like it.

[harm_less]

I was talking about chocolate. Chocolate is an optional, not a necessity. And no, I would just go American and live on those addictive coffee sachets with all that processed stuff in it. And I would add chocolate dust.

Because I like it.

We were taking about products that help cater for those with chosen or imposed aversion to dairy but you've side stepped my question again. I also fail to see what Nationality has to do with it. Have you considered giving politics a go?

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Nah, I am a giant sook, I couldn't take the critics. You do know how much I like teasing you, right?

But a Whittakers ad just showed up on my farcebook page. Oat milk chocolate. Oh yum.

Porridge chockies. The perfect winter breakfast. I might just buy some. Hope it isn't as disappointing as their salted caramel...

[Zurdo]

I've been plant based for 45 years...before it was a fad...maybe it was rad back then. I have dairy, but don't drink milk, I much prefer soy milk in my tea and coffee. Chocolate ? Oh yes...if it's free. Just finished a block of Cadbury tonight...it was a gift. If someone gave me some of the new Whitakers, yeah, I'd be into it.

[nzoomed]

All this "plant" based stuff can be more unhealthy than regular milk for example. Just think of all the chemicals and processes to make "rice" milk or other types of plant based milk.
Its not even something you can naturally extract. Canola oil is another example.

[harm_less]

All this "plant" based stuff can be more unhealthy than regular milk for example. Just think of all the chemicals and processes to make "rice" milk or other types of plant based milk.
Its not even something you can naturally extract. Canola oil is another example.

Our milk is so far removed from squirting a teat into a bottle that it can be regarded as a high processed food itself. Its water footprint and Fonterra's energy consumption speaks for itself in respect to "regular milk".

[SueDonim]

I fail to see the point of milk-free milk chocolate. We already have milk-free chocolate - it's called dark chocolate and apart from the sugar content is a good food in small pieces.

Other xxx-free products may be good to fill gaps where people with allergies and intolerances have difficulty, but a lot of it is pretty silly. If you choose to not eat meat, why do you need fake "meat" patties that are over processed and filled with unnecessary or even unhealthy additives? I've often had a laugh at vegetarians eating cheese. I always ask innocently "is that vegetarian cheese?". Sometimes they get it and say "yes it is". More often they are dumfounded to learn that rennet comes from bobby calves.

We have evolved to be omnivores and a balanced omnivorous diet is usually best. A lot of our allergy and intolerance problems relate to unnecessary additives anyway. Eg preservative has a function in prolonging shelf-life, but is way over-used and can cause problems. Some people are simply intolerant and must avoid it. But for everyone else if you start to learn about the role of gut flora you'll question how anything designed to keep bacteria at bay could ever be good for digestion.

I think the best we can all do is eat basic food with as little processing as possible. Buy it fresh and cook it simply when required. And when we do want something that is processed, seek out a traditionally made version that adheres to old principles and isn't full of additives (thinking sausages, bacon, salami, etc). The good stuff can be hard to get because people just blindly buy the cheap versions in front of them instead of seeking out alternatives and rewarding the companies willing to provide them.

---

All this "plant" based stuff can be more unhealthy than regular milk for example. Just think of all the chemicals and processes to make "rice" milk or other types of plant based milk.
Its not even something you can naturally extract. Canola oil is another example.

Our milk is so far removed from squirting a teat into a bottle that it can be regarded as a high processed food itself. Its water footprint and Fonterra's energy consumption speaks for itself in respect to "regular milk".

At least it is still pure milk. The pasturisation is essential for safety unless you are prepared to go to great lengths to keep the milk safe, but universal homogenisation seems to have crept its way in by stealth. I used to buy non-homogenised milk but decided that it's too expensive.