Plant-Based Dairy Alternatives: Perspectives from Nutrition Professionals in Spain
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 Spain view these products, EUFIC conducted an online survey between March and May 2025. 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 Spanish dietitian-nutritionists influencers within EUFIC’s network. A total of 259 nutrition professionals (including students in their 4th year of study or master students – 21%) completed the survey. Of these, 53% were working directly with clients/patients.
This summary presents key insights from the research.
General Beliefs and Knowledge
A strong majority (88%) of nutrition professionals agreed that PBDAs can be part of a healthy diet. Most nutrition professionals recognised PBDAs as lactose-free (90%), cholesterol-free (68%), and understood that the nutritional profile of these products varies depending on the plant source they are made of (83%).
With regards to fortification, 81% of nutrition professionals believed PBDAs should be fortified with vitamins or minerals. Nonetheless, they tended to overestimate the level of fortification of PBDAs in Spain. While 17%1 of PBDAs on the Spanish market are fortified with at least one micronutrient, participants, on average, estimated this percentage to be 55% (individual estimates varied widely from 10% to 100%). Calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin B12 were the most common micronutrients that nutrition professionals thought are used to fortify PBDAs in Spain.
Current Use in Professional Practice
Among nutrition professionals who work directly with clients (or patients), many (40%) reported recommending PBDAs to more than 30% of their clients. Thirty-seven per cent were recommending them to 10% - 30% of their clients, and 18% were recommending them to less than 10% of their clients. Very few nutrition professionals (5%) reported never recommending PBDAs. Among those not currently seeing clients, 87% indicated they would recommend these products to consumers.
What predicted these differences? The perceived nutritional value of PBDAs compared to dairy was linked to how often nutrition professionals recommended them. Those who viewed them as nutritionally equivalent to dairy (12%) tended to recommend them more frequently than those who were unsure how PBDAs compared nutritionally to dairy (10%). In addition, the more familiar nutrition professionals were with PBDAs and the more frequently they consumed them themselves, the more likely they were to recommend them.
About half of nutrition professionals would recommend PBDAs to increase dietary diversity or for sustainability and ethical reasons. Nonetheless, the most common reasons for recommending PBDAs included managing lactose intolerance or dairy allergies and accommodating vegan or plant-based diets (87% of the sample cited these reasons). Other reasons, such as accommodating dietary restrictions related to culture or religion or promoting digestive or cardiovascular health, were cited less frequently.
Role of PBDAs in the Diet
While there was broad agreement that PBDAs can play a role in a healthy diet, opinions diverged regarding their specific role in relation to dairy. Forty-six per cent of nutrition professionals believed PBDAs can fully substitute dairy, although opinions differed on whether this is contingent upon fortification. Specifically, of those who held this opinion, 63% believed that only fortified PBDAs can fully substitute dairy, while 37% believed PBDAs can fully substitute dairy regardless of whether they are fortified or not. Fifteen per cent of the sample believed PBDAs can only partially substitute dairy, and about one-third believed they should complement dairy without replacing it. Only 7% felt that these products cannot replace dairy at all.
These perceptions were closely tied to attitudes toward recommending PBDAs to consumers. Among those who believed PBDAs, regardless of fortification, can fully substitute dairy, the majority (86%) would recommend either version. In contrast, 61% of those who thought fortification is a requirement for PBDAs to fully substitute dairy would recommend only fortified versions. Those who saw PBDAs as partly substituting or complementing dairy were more divided on this matter (i.e., about half would recommend either version, while 43% would recommend only fortified versions). Finally, the majority (41%) of those who thought PBDAs cannot substitute dairy would not recommend PBDAs at all.
When asked to compare the nutritional value of PBDAs to dairy products, half of the sample considered PBDAs as nutritionally equivalent to dairy. Of those, a large majority (75%) thought that nutritional equivalence is contingent upon fortification of PBDAs. A quarter of the sample judged PBDAs as nutritionally inferior, while 15% of nutrition professionals thought they are nutritionally superior to dairy, although opinions diverged on whether superiority depends on fortification (i.e., 48% thought that only fortified PBDAs can be superior to dairy).
Inclusion in Dietary Guidelines
A large majority of nutrition professionals (78%) were in favour of including PBDAs in the Spanish dietary guidelines, with only a small proportion (7%) opposing it and 15% not taking a position due to lacking information. Overall, 33% of nutrition professionals were in favour of including PBDAs in guidelines only if they are fortified with vitamins and/or minerals, while 45% supported their inclusion irrespective of fortification.
Opinions differed regarding who should be recommended to consume PBDAs, if included in dietary guidelines. Although a third of nutrition professionals supported a general recommendation to the entire population, the majority favoured targeted recommendations. Most nutrition professionals supported recommending PBDAs to individuals on restricted diets (e.g., vegans, those with lactose intolerance) (53%), adults (41%), or people who already consumed these products (37%). Fewer would recommend them to younger or older ages or to people with specific health conditions.
Support for including PBDAs in national dietary guidelines was associated with several factors. Nutrition professionals who believed PBDAs are more environmentally friendly than dairy (51%) were more than twice as likely to support their inclusion in dietary guidelines. Conversely, those who perceived PBDAs as more processed than dairy (36%) were less likely to support their inclusion. Notwithstanding, opinions as to whether PBDAs are more environmentally friendly and more processed than dairy were mixed. With regards to environmental friendliness, 51% agreed with the statement that PBDAs are more environmentally friendly than dairy, 13% disagreed, 26% neither agreed nor disagreed, and 10% did not know. Likewise, 36% agreed with the statement that PBDAs are more processed than dairy, 22% disagreed, 38% neither agreed nor disagreed, and 5% did not know. Moreover, the perceived role of PDBAs in the diet and nutritional value compared to dairy also predicted attitudes towards including PBDAs in dietary guidelines. Believing that fortified PBDAs can fully substitute dairy (29%) greatly increased the likelihood of supporting inclusion compared to believing that PBDAs can only partly substitute dairy (15%). Also, those who believed that PBDAs, irrespective of fortification, are nutritionally equivalent to dairy (12%) were more likely to support inclusion in dietary guidelines than those who were uncertain about this issue (10%).
Other perceptions
Many nutrition professionals (61%) believed that PBDAs are generally more expensive than dairy products. Opinions were more divided, however, on the tastiness of PBDAs, with 46% disagreeing with the statement that they are less tasty than dairy, 13% agreeing with the statement, 36% neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and 4% indicating that they did not know.
Conclusion
The findings reveal that nutrition professionals in Spain generally support the inclusion of PBDAs in the diet and in dietary guidelines. Yet, opinions vary regarding their specific role in the diet and nutritional value compared to dairy, their need for fortification, and to which population segments they should be recommended. These considerations, including perceptions around environmental impact and level of processing as well as personal consumption patterns, have the potential to influence nutrition professionals' attitudes towards these products. Clearer guidance and communication on these aspects could help nutrition professionals make more informed decisions about incorporating PBDAs into their dietary recommendations.