Gail's to drop soya milk surcharge after campaign by Peta
Gail's will offer free soya from 21 May for customers choosing dairy-free milk, following suit with most leading high street coffee chains, which tend to offer one – soya – for nothing.
However, other dairy-free alternatives such as oat, almond and coconut milk often still come at a cost.
Gail's previously charged between 40p and 60p extra if customers wanted oat or soya milk in their coffee or tea. There will still be a charge for oat milk.
With at least one in three Britons now drinking plant-based milks, the animal rights charity Peta welcomed the move to help customers make more ethical choices, but also called on Gail's to drop its additional charge for oat milk.
The charity's vice-president of vegan corporate projects, Dawn Carr, said: 'Charging more for plant milk leaves a bad taste in customers' mouths, particularly when it is a choice they make for their health, to be kind to cows, or for the planet.
'Peta celebrates Gail's taking the first step in offering soya without the surcharge, but to spare cows from harm and reduce methane emissions, the oat-milk upcharge also has to be ground down.'
Pret a Manger stopped charging extra for plant-based milks such as oat, almond, soya and rice-coconut in the UK in 2020 after calls from animal rights advocates. Starbucks dropped its vegan milk surcharge in the UK in 2022. Leon and Joe and the Juice do not charge extra for any standard dairy-free milk alternatives.
Costa Coffee and Caffè Nero do not charge for soya milk, but oat and coconut milk are an additional 45p at both. Costa also has an 'ultimate blend' plant-based milk alternative at some stores for 35p. Peta renewed its calls for these charges to be dropped.
A spokesperson from Gail's said: 'We understand choice is important, which is why we're proud to offer British-grown oat milk and soya as dairy alternatives. From 21 May, there will be no additional charge for soya milk in our bakeries. We want to make it easier for everyone to enjoy their coffee or tea the way they like it, while remaining dedicated to sourcing high-quality ingredients that are both delicious and sustainable.'
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