The Swiss transnational food and drink company, Nestle, is gearing up to launch its new vegan burger. The company is going to release an organic plant based patty, Incredible Burger, under the brand name Garden Gourmet. The meat-free burger will be another addition in Nestlé’s dairy free food and beverage series of products. Other products include purple milk which is made from blueberries and walnuts, and blue latte featuring spirulina algae rich in antioxidants and minerals.
The meat free burger will be made from wheat protein and soya. New research is pouring in the food business about the cost effective and low risk interventions that lower Hba1c, Body Mass Index and cholesterol levels, as a result, the new generation of consumers are looking to avoid animal protein. Cholesterol free food startups are booming, and there have been notable acquisitions in the news. Unilever recently acquired meat and plant based Dutch startup The Vegetarian Butcher. Leonardo Di Caprio and Bill Gates backed startup Beyond Meat which makes plant based beef patties, has gained much popularity and influence. With the vegan burger Nestle has played its cards wisely against its rivals.
Nestlé’s original product line-ups focused on meat products like ham and Hearta sausages; However recent trends showing customer disinclination towards animal products has led Nestle to reorient its strategy in favor of meat free Vegan products.
Nestlé’s ambitions to gain footing in Vegan market is not new. In 2017, Nestle acquired vegan and vegetarian food company Sweet Earth, this year it acquired a majority stake in Latin American organic plant based food company Terrafertil. Nestle is in the process of integrating its existing brands for vegan consumers like Haagen-Dazs’s non-dairy ice-cream. Protein packed vegan coffee smoothies were launched recently under its Nescafe brand name. Half of the protein that nestle uses comprises of plant sources, reported The Edge.
Garden Gourmet, is the brand name under which the Incredible Burger will be launched, has earlier made meat free renditions of cheeseburgers, sausages, bratwurst, nuggets and schnitzel. The popular and the healthy choice has lost its antagonistic relationship as health consciousness and plant based movement gains traction worldwide. Consumers equipped with information are moving towards conscious choices. Revolution is on its way in the vegetarian category, and companies are taking the challenge of healthy food without a compromise with taste head on.