# Fast-Food Oat Milk Alternatives McDonald's Launches Milk Lab Oat Milk Option in Australia By Niko Pajkovic | Published 2021-11-11 | Lifestyle Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/milk-lab References: [vegnews](https://vegnews.com/2021/11/mcdonalds-oat-milk-mccafe-australia) & [mcdonalds](http://mcdonalds.com)  [McDonald's](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mcdonalds-vegan-scoop) has officially added vegan oat milk to its McCafé menu in Australia, expanding its coffee options to cater to an increasingly conscious consumer. The oat milk being offered at McCafé comes from the local Aussie brand MILKLAB -- a vegan dairy brand specializing in barista-quality alternatives. Really, it's no surprise that McDonald's has begun selling MILKLAB's popular oat milk, considering the chain had already been offering the brand's soy and almond products for a number of years. In fact, the addition of the new milk points to McDonald's broader -- and steadily growing -- interest in introducing vegan alternative menu items. For example, McDonald's signed a three-year deal with [Beyond Meat](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mcdonalds-mcplant) to roll out its global McPlant platform and has already begun launching new vegan burgers in China with [Omnipork](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/vegan-spam-musubi). Image Credit: McDonald's ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.1/10 - Popularity: 25% | Activity: 27% | Freshness: 11% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Lifestyle](https://www.trendhunter.com/lifestyle) > [Food](https://www.trendhunter.com/food) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Milk Alternatives in Fast-food:** Fast-food chains are adding vegan milk alternatives to cater to an increasingly conscious consumer, creating an opportunity for plant-based dairy brands. - **Expansion of Vegan Options in Fast-food:** The growth of vegan options in fast-food chains creates an opportunity for plant-based meat substitutes and alternative protein brands to expand and reach a wider audience. - **Barista-quality Vegan Milk Alternatives:** The rise of barista-quality vegan milk alternatives in fast-food chains creates an opportunity for dairy-free brands to expand and offer high-quality products to consumers. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Plant-based Dairy Brands:** Plant-based dairy brands have an opportunity to supply vegan milk alternatives to fast-food chains as the demand for plant-based options continues to grow. - **Plant-based Meat Substitutes & Alternative Protein Brands:** As fast-food chains expand their vegan options, plant-based meat substitutes and alternative protein brands have an opportunity to reach a wider audience and expand their market share. - **Dairy-free Brands:** With the rise of barista-quality vegan milk alternatives in fast-food chains, dairy-free brands have an opportunity to expand their product offerings and provide consumers with high-quality options. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Fast-Food Oat Milk Substitutions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/oat-milk-substitutions.md) - [Plant-Based QSR Milk Partnerships](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/burger-king-and-oatly.md) - [Barista-Friendly Milk Alternatives](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/oatbased-milk.md) - [Vegan-Friendly Milk Beverages](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/veganfriendly-milk-beverage.md) - [Extra-Creamy Oat-Based Beverages](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/oatly-bio-barista.md) - [Plant-Based Iced Lattes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/caff-latte-by-oato.md) - [Australian Oat Alt Milks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/country-delight-oat-beverage.md) - [Customizable Oat Milks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/customizable-oat-milk.md) - [Latte-Ready Oat Milks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/oat-milk-barista.md)