Szczepanski Lena, Bahlmann Laura-Marie, Rötker Corinna, Eylering Annike, Fiebelkorn Florian
Biology Didactics, Department of Biology/Chemistry, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany.
BMC Nutr. 2025 May 26;11(1):101. doi: 10.1186/s40795-025-01072-8.
Consuming alternatives to cow's milk (CM) could help counteract current environmental problems. Plant-based milk alternatives (PBMA) and precision fermentation-based milk alternatives-also called "animal-free milk" (AFM)-are potentially more sustainable alternatives to CM. Therefore, our study aimed to analyze young peoples' attitudes toward PBMA and AFM and their motives for/against consuming these milk alternatives.
For this purpose, semi-structured interviews were conducted with adolescents from Germany (N = 25; M = 17.6). The data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.
The results show that the young people in our study have positive attitudes toward PBMA, as they perceive PBMA as healthy and environmentally friendly. In addition, they have predominantly positive attitudes toward AFM, as they perceive AFM as an environmentally friendly and suitable alternative to CM. Animal welfare and environmental protection motivate the young people in our study to consume these milk alternatives. In contrast, sensory properties (PBMA) and food safety concerns (AFM) were identified as barriers to the consumption of milk alternatives.
Adolescents generally have positive attitudes toward milk alternatives, motivated by perceived health, environmental, and animal welfare benefits. However, sensory properties and production-related uncertainties are barriers to consumption. These findings highlight the importance of addressing these concerns to foster the acceptance of sustainable milk alternatives among young people.
食用牛奶替代品有助于应对当前的环境问题。植物基牛奶替代品（PBMA）和基于精准发酵的牛奶替代品——也称为“无动物奶”（AFM）——可能是牛奶更具可持续性的替代品。因此，我们的研究旨在分析年轻人对PBMA和AFM的态度以及他们食用这些牛奶替代品的支持/反对动机。
为此，我们对来自德国的青少年（N = 25；平均年龄17.6岁）进行了半结构化访谈。使用定性内容分析法对数据进行分析。
结果表明，我们研究中的年轻人对PBMA持积极态度，因为他们认为PBMA健康且环保。此外，他们对AFM也主要持积极态度，因为他们认为AFM是一种环保且适合替代牛奶的产品。动物福利和环境保护促使我们研究中的年轻人食用这些牛奶替代品。相比之下，感官特性（PBMA）和食品安全问题（AFM）被确定为食用牛奶替代品的障碍。
青少年通常对牛奶替代品持积极态度，其动机是认为这些产品对健康、环境和动物福利有益。然而，感官特性和与生产相关的不确定性是消费的障碍。这些发现凸显了解决这些问题对于促进年轻人接受可持续牛奶替代品的重要性。
