Plant-Based Dairy Alternatives: Perspectives from Nutrition Professionals in Portugal
Last Updated : 12 June 2025Plant-based dairy alternatives (PBDAs), such as drinks and yoghurts made of legumes (e.g., soy), oats, nuts (e.g., almonds), rice, or coconut, have become increasingly popular in recent years. To understand how nutrition professionals in Portugal view these products, EUFIC conducted an online survey. The survey was shared with national and regional associations of dietitians-nutritionists, including both professionals and students. It was also distributed to academic institutions offering dietetics and nutrition programs. In addition, the survey was promoted through EUFIC’s social media platforms and Portuguese dietitian-nutritionists influencers within EUFIC’s network. A total of 139 nutrition professionals (including students in their 4th year of study or master students – 16%) completed the survey. Of these, 64% were working directly with clients/patients.
This summary presents key insights from the research.
General Beliefs and Knowledge
An overwhelming majority of nutrition professionals (93%) agreed that PBDAs can be part of a healthy diet. Most nutrition professionals recognised PBDAs as lactose-free (94%), cholesterol-free (60%), and understood that the nutritional profile of these products varies depending on the plant source from which they are made (90%). However, there were mixed opinions as to whether PBDAs are more processed than dairy, as 44% agreed with this statement, 17% disagreed, 35% neither agreed nor disagreed, and 4% indicated that they did not know.
There was broad endorsement of fortification of PBDAs with vitamins or minerals among nutrition professionals, with 96% believing that PBDAs should be fortified. Nonetheless, nutrition professionals tended to underestimate the level of fortification of PBDAs in Portugal. While 80%1 of PBDAs on the Portuguese market are fortified with at least one micronutrient, participants, on average, estimated this percentage to be 52% (individual estimates varied widely from 20% to 100%). Calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin B12 were the most common micronutrients that nutrition professionals thought are used to fortify PBDAs in Portugal.
Current Use in Professional Practice
Among nutrition professionals who work directly with clients (or patients), many (45%) reported recommending PBDAs to 10% - 30% of their clients. Thirty per cent were recommending them to more than 30% of their clients and about a quarter were recommending them to less than 10% of their clients. Very few nutrition professionals (1%) never recommended PBDAs. Among those not currently seeing clients, 86% would recommend these products to consumers.
What predicted these differences? The higher the percentage of PBDAs nutrition professionals thought are fortified with micronutrients in Portugal, the more likely they were to recommend these products. Also, nutrition professionals who viewed PBDAs as nutritionally equivalent to dairy (9%) tended to recommend them more often than those who viewed them as nutritionally superior (5%), suggesting that perceived superiority does not always translate to more frequent recommendations. In addition, the more frequently nutrition professionals consumed PBDAs themselves, the more likely they were to recommend them.
Forty per cent of nutrition professionals would recommend PBDAs to increase dietary diversity or to accommodate taste and texture preferences. Nonetheless, the most common reasons for recommending PBDAs included managing lactose intolerance or dairy allergies (96% of the sample cited this reason) and accommodating vegan or plant-based diets (cited by 86% of the sample), or dietary restrictions related to culture or religion. Other reasons, such as sustainability or chronic disease management, were cited less frequently.
Role of PBDAs in the Diet
While there was consensus that PBDAs can play a role in a healthy diet, views varied regarding their specific role in relation to dairy. Forty-six per cent of nutrition professionals believed PBDAs can fully substitute dairy. Among those, the majority (84%) felt that only fortified PBDAs can fully substitute dairy. Twenty-seven per cent of the sample believed PBDAs can only partly substitute dairy and 19% believed they should complement dairy without replacing it. Only 8% felt that PBDAs cannot replace dairy at all.
These perceptions were closely linked to attitudes toward recommending PBDAs to consumers. Among those who believed PBDAs, regardless of fortification, can fully substitute dairy, the majority (60%) would recommend either version. In contrast, only fortified versions were recommended by 82% of those who thought fortification is a requirement for PBDAs to fully substitute dairy and 63% of those viewing PBDAs as complementing dairy without substituting them. Those who saw PBDAs as partly substituting dairy were more divided on this matter, as 54% would recommend only fortified PBDAs and 46% would recommend either version. Those who felt that PBDAs cannot substitute dairy also held mixed views, with 46% being willing to recommend only fortified PBDAs and 46% being willing to recommend either version.
When asked to compare the nutritional value of PBDAs to dairy products, 66% of the sample considered PBDAs as nutritionally equivalent to dairy. Of those, most nutrition professionals (87%) thought that nutritional equivalence is contingent upon fortification of PBDAs (i.e., only fortified PBDAs are nutritionally equivalent to dairy). Nearly a quarter of the sample judged PBDAs as nutritionally inferior, while 9% thought they are nutritionally superior to dairy, although opinions diverged on whether superiority depends on fortification (i.e., 42% thought that only fortified PBDAs can be superior to dairy).
Inclusion in Dietary Guidelines
A large majority of nutrition professionals (76%) were in favour of including PBDAs in the Portuguese dietary guidelines, with only a small proportion (4%) opposing it and 19% not taking a position due to lacking information. Among those who were positive about inclusion, the majority (62%) supported including only fortified versions.
As for whom these products should be recommended to, if included in dietary guidelines, only 14% believed they should be recommended to everyone. Instead, nutrition professionals saw their value primarily for specific groups, such as individuals on restricted diets (e.g., vegans, those with lactose intolerance) (74%), adults (52%), people who already consumed these products (48%), and older adults (36%). Fewer would recommend them for younger ages or for people with specific health conditions.
Support for including PBDAs in national dietary guidelines was associated with several factors. Nutrition professionals who recognised PBDAs as lactose-free (94%) were 14 times more likely to support their inclusion, and those who believed they are more environmentally friendly than dairy (32%) were nearly five times more likely to do so. Notwithstanding, opinions regarding the environmental friendliness of PBDAs were mixed, with 32% agreeing with the statement that PBDAs are more environmentally friendly than dairy, 16% disagreeing with this statement, 43% neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and 9% indicating that they did not know. Moreover, those who thought that only fortified PBDAs are nutritionally equivalent to dairy (39%) were nearly 14 times more likely to support their inclusion compared to those who thought PBDAs are nutritionally equivalent to dairy irrespective of fortification, thereby reinforcing once again the relevance of fortification perceptions. Finally, the more frequently nutrition professionals consumed PBDAs themselves, the more likely they were to favour their inclusion in dietary guidelines.
Other Perceptions
Many nutrition professionals (68%) believed that PBDAs are generally more expensive than dairy products. Opinions were more divided, however, on the tastiness of PBDAs, with 41% disagreeing with the statement that they are less tasty than dairy, 12% agreeing with the statement, 44% neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and 4% indicating that they did not know.
Conclusion
The findings reveal that nutrition professionals in Portugal generally support the inclusion of PBDAs in the diet and in dietary guidelines, particularly when these products are fortified with micronutrients. The majority of nutrition professionals view PBDAs as suitable for specific dietary needs, rather than recommending them for the general population. There was, however, less consensus regarding their specific role in the diet compared to dairy. Professional endorsement of PBDAs is closely tied to perceptions around fortification, nutritional value and environmental friendliness compared to dairy, acknowledgement of PBDAs’ lactose-free nature, and personal consumption patterns. Clearer guidance and communication on these aspects could help nutrition professionals make more informed decisions about incorporating PBDAs into their dietary recommendations.