How are milk substitutes labelled in the UK? Would consumers be confused by adding the term ‘milk’ to milk substitute labelling? Evidence from observational and online experimental studies.

This study comprises two studies exploring milk substitute labelling. Study 1 was an online observational study that assessed the absolute (total number of products) and relative (proportion compared to dairy milk) availability of plant-based milk substitutes in online supermarkets in the UK. Study 2 was an online experimental study that assessed the impact of using the term ‘milk’ on milk substitute labelling. In this study, 352 UK adults were randomised to one of two conditions where they saw milk substitutes that were either labelled with UK regulations (e.g., soya drink) or using the term ‘milk’ (e.g., soya milk). The protocol and analysis plan for Study 2 were pre-registered on the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/c74ka/).