Is Oat Milk a UPF | Full Guide

What is a UPF?

A UPF (ultra-processed food) is a food that has undergone extensive processing and contains multiple artificial ingredients.

They are often considered less nutritious and have recently faced criticism from dieticians. 

How are UPFs characterised?

• UPFs contain artificial ingredients like sweeteners, thickeners, colourings, preservatives, flavourings or emulsifiers.
• UPFs contain high levels of added sugars, salts or oils.
• UPFs contain a large number of highly processed ingredients.

How is oat milk made?

Oat milk is made by first blending oats and water together until a liquid is formed. 

An enzyme is then added which converts the starch into natural sugars, giving oat milk a smooth texture and subtle sweetness.

The enzyme used is amylase, the same enzyme found in saliva. 

Thus turning oats into oat milk isn’t too dissimilar to the digestion process which occurs in our bodies. 

Is oat milk a UPF?

The answer depends on the specific brand of oat milk as processing methods and ingredients differ.

Oat milk isn’t inherently a UPF, and although it requires some processing, it can contain just oats and water.

The issue arises when artificial ingredients are added which can push oat milk into the UPF category.

It's also worth noting that oat milk from certain countries like the USA is more likely to contain additives.

In contrast, oat milk brands in the UK typically use more natural ingredients.

What to look out for?

1️⃣ Additional processes: some brands use heat treatment to extend the shelf life of oat milk.

This is often labelled as “UHT” or “long life” and represents an additional processing step which can reduce the nutritional value of oat milk.

Try to avoid long-life plant milk if you are aiming to minimise processed foods. 

2️⃣ Addition of seed oils: watch out for rapeseed oil or sunflower oil in your oat milk, as these are commonly added add creaminess.

Seed oils are often extracted using high temperatures or chemicals and have been linked to inflammation.

Try to avoid oat milk with added seed oils if you are aiming to minimise UPFs.

3️⃣ Other additives: some oat milk contains additives like preservatives, thickeners and emulsifiers, which are used to artificially increase shelf life. 

We have provided a full list of common additives in oat milk to look out for.

Which oat milk brands are more processed?

As a general rule, the oat milk most likely to be UPFs are the cheaper supermarket "own brands". This is because they frequently contain additives like stabilisers, thickeners and even flavourings. 

We searched all the UK oat milk brands and found these to be the most processed. 

• Asda oat milk - contains oils, thickeners, stabilisers and added salt.
• Morrisons oat milk - contains oils, thickeners, stabilisers, flavourings and added salt.
• Tesco oat milk - contains oils, thickeners, stabilisers and added salt.
• Sainsbury’s oat milk - contains oils, thickeners, stabilisers, maltodextrin and added salt.
• Alpro oat milk - contains oils, thickeners, stabilisers and added salt.

Which oat milk brands are the least processed

• Plenish oat milk - made from oats, salt and water. However, it’s often expensive and may lack the creaminess of other oat milk brands.

• Overherd oat milk - made from organic oats & no seed oils (instead uses healthy MCT fats from coconut). Contains no additives or salt.

Is oat milk healthy?

Oat milk can be a healthy plant milk option.

It contains cholesterol-fighting beta-glucans, vitamins like B1 and E and even antioxidants like avenanthramides. 

However, make sure to choose an oat milk which doesn't contain additives like thickeners or seed oils, as these reduce the nutritional profile.