Finland's updated nutritional guidelines continue to recommend the consumption of dairy products, even though there are nearly equivalent plant-based products available that are comparatively less taxing on the environment.
The Finnish Food Authority published the guidelines on Wednesday. Among other things, they recommend that people consume less red meat and to eat more fruits and vegetables.
For example, Oatly's oat-based milk contains nearly the same amounts of calcium, as well as vitamin D and B12, as its low-fat dairy-based counterparts.
Yle spoke with the chair of the nutritional guidelines' working group, nutrition science professor Maijaliisa Erkkola, and asked her whether the decision had to do with Finland's agricultural policies.
"It's not a question of politics," she said.
"Milk is part of our food culture. There are so many people that get a significant source of nutrients from milk that we felt it necessary to take that into account," Erkkola said, adding that the guidelines also suggest that dairy products can be replaced with plant-based drinks.
"The number of plant-based [dairy] options supplemented with nutrients has increased. One can follow the recommendations without milk," Erkkola explained.
However, she said that because dairy products are still so popular, it was decided to leave both options on the table.
"Switching to plant-based [milk] drinks would be quite a big hurdle for some population groups — and not very likely," she said.
What about the environmental impacts of the dairy industry?
"Yes, an abundant use of milk, and especially cheese, has significant impacts on the climate and land use," Erkkola said.
So from that perspective, she added, people shouldn't exceed recommended levels of dairy consumption.
Are there nutrients in real milk that aren't available in plant-based dairy alternatives?
"At the moment, the only concern [about that] is adequate protein intake, especially among the elderly," Erkkola said.
"On the other hand, a small proportion of children consume a lot of milk. For them, milk is a key source of energy and takes up room for other food groups that offer other nutrients. We would like to see them moderate their milk intake," she said.
Erkkola explained that the new recommendations advise limiting consumption of milk to 350 to 500 grams — between three and five deciliters — per day.
"In Finland, milk provides a very important source of calcium, vitamin B12, riboflavin, iodine and vitamin D. Drinkable milk products here are fortified with vitamin D. The recommendation is based on that," Erkkola said.
"Additionally, there is evidence that choosing fat-free or low-fat dairy products helps protect people from common illnesses, like cardiovascular disease," she said.
How have the recommendations for milk changed?
"The recommendations for milk decreased a bit. In the past, the recommendations suggested consuming five to six decilitres of milk and a few slices of cheese [per day]," Erkkola said.
Now, she explained, the new guidelines consider 10 to 20 grams of cheese to be equivalent to 100 grams of milk.
"Overall, [the dairy recommendation] is smaller than before," she said.
"The reduction was based on adequate nutritional needs but we also considered environmental issues," Erkkola said.
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