On February 11, 2026, the UK Supreme Court said no to Oatly. The Swedish company can no longer use “milk” in its “Post Milk Generation” name for oat drinks and foods. The court wants to keep “milk” just for cow milk. This stops people from getting mixed up.
Is Oat Milk Banned in the UK and Australia?
No, oat milk is not fully banned in the UK or Australia, but a key ruling limits its branding.
The oat milk ban buzz comes from a UK Supreme Court decision on February 11, 2026. Oatly lost rights to use “milk” in its “Post Milk Generation” slogan for oat drinks and foods. Courts ruled “milk” belongs only to cow’s milk to avoid shopper mix-ups. Oatly fights back, calling it unfair to big dairy.
Australia has no oat milk ban yet. New January 2026 rules urge clearer labels—no “milk”, “cheese”, or cow images on plant foods. Brands like So Good and Vitasoy may adjust, but experts say people know the difference. The plant drink market is booming at $500M+.
The fight started in 2019. Oatly tried to get a trademark. It got okayed in 2021. But Dairy UK said stop. They said old EU rules say “milk” is only for animal milk. The lower courts agreed. The top court said yes too. All judges said the same thing.
Oatly is mad. Their UK boss Bryan Carroll called it unfair. He said it helps big dairy farms. UK dairy farms dropped a lot since 1980. Now there are just 7,010. Dairy UK is happy. They like clear names on food.
The court looked at Oatly’s slogan hard. It said slogans count too. You can use dairy words only if they fit rules. Like saying no milk in it. Oatly’s words did not do that. Now Oatly can use the name only on clothes or bags, not food.
The Australian people are frightened as well. New rules of the government were made on January 30, 2026. They are not law yet. They request the food manufacturers to quit using cow images or phrases such as milk and cheese on plant foods. This makes labels clear.
Food experts in Australia check food rules. Dairy groups want this. They lose sales to oat milk. But most Aussies know oat milk is not cow milk. Tests show they get it. So a full ban like UK’s is not likely.
Plant food companies worry. Brands like So Good and Vitasoy may change names. Plant foods sell well. Young people like them a lot. The group for plant foods wants rules based on facts.
A lawyer named Richard May said be careful. Do not use cow words in ads. Australia’s plant food business is big, over $500 million. What happens next matters a lot 1
