'Sliced Milk' Is Making Its Way On The Scene, And It Isn't As Bizarre As It Sounds

New food products always run the gamut between the predictable and strange, but even the most jaded consumers of marketing terms are probably going to do a double take when they see something labeled "sliced milk." It might first strike them that this is some silly rebranding of cheese, but that's not that case. Sliced milk is a very real product that's been showing up on store shelves recently, and it's actually just an old idea presented in new packaging.

First off, sliced milk isn't dairy milk; it's plant-based milk. The brand bringing it to American stores right now is called Milkadamia, which already produces a line of standard macadamia milk. Its new sliced milk is currently limited to oat milk, but the brand is reportedly planning on adding almond options soon. Essentially, these milk slices are concentrated and pressed oat flour and oat fiber, which are created using a proprietary printing process to shape the flat sheets of dried oat paste, giving them the appearance of being sliced. 

Milkadamia's instructions direct you to add water and then blitz in a blender for 30 to 60 seconds — and voila, you have oat milk. You can also adjust how much water you add to your own tastes as far as flavor and thickness go, so there is a bit more of a customizability factor. However, at its core, a milk slice is just a modernized version of powdered milk that's made with different types of plant-based milks, and shaped in a unique way. "Sliced milk" is certainly an eye-catching term, but there isn't anything too unusual going on here.

The next question with sliced milk is: why? It mostly comes down to food waste. Much like powdered milk, sliced milk is shelf stable – in this case for up to 18 months – despite not being made with any preservatives. That means less spoilage, and oat milk on demand without taking up space in your fridge. Its benefits also have a lot to do with reducing waste in terms of packaging and shipping. These oat milk slices weigh 86% less than the standard carton of milk that's mainly water weight, and being so much smaller, they need 72% less packaging. Milkadamia has put a lot of emphasis on "precycling," which is the practice of reducing waste by using products that are less likely to be wasted in the first place.

It should also be noted that Milkadamia isn't the first (or only) brand using this new process to produce milk slices. The product was inspired by a company in Germany called Veganz Group that has also started to produce printed alternative milks. So there may be more of these products on the way soon.

As for how to enjoy sliced milk, it can be used just like any other plant-based milks. Described by one customer on Reddit as having the "texture of fruit leather," you can't mix it into baked goods like powdered milk. But once you add water and blend, it's just like the real thing. Whether people will take to this new, preserved plant-based milk is impossible to say now, but it seems to offer some real benefits.