Mondelēz International will roll out a Cadbury Plant Bar, a plant-based vegan alternative, starting next month. The product, which took more than two years to develop, retains its creamy taste by replacing the milk with almond paste.
Mondelēz’s new bar, which is available in two flavors, Smooth Chocolate and Smooth Chocolate with Salted Caramel pieces, is suitable for vegans and is registered by the Vegan Society.
The bar marks the latest launch by confectioners such as Hershey, Nestlé and Mars to enter the plant category as more consumers shift away from products made with animal-based ingredients.
For much of the last several years, the focus on plant-based foods has largely been centred on beef, sausage and chicken. But increasingly, confectionery companies are testing out the category by launching their own products made without animal ingredients.
Despite the lucrative market, sweets makers appear to be taking a very methodical approach to rolling out their vegan offerings, and Mondelēz is no exception. While the new offering could make its way to the U.S., a launch is somewhat complicated by the fact that Cadbury manufacturing in the U.S. is owned by Hershey.
Nestlé, which makes KitKats in most countries except the United States, launched a plant-based KitKat V made with rice milk this summer, starting first in the U.K., Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Last month, Hershey announced it was testing out a plant-based chocolate bar in some markets called Hershey’s Oat Made.
The decision to slowly roll out the new vegan sweets could allow these and other food manufacturers to collect consumer feedback and determine whether they need to make any changes to the recipe. For many consumers, switching to plant-based offerings from those made with animal ingredients is stymied by the fact that the new products lack the taste and texture they’ve come to expect.
The company is not only tapping into the growing demand for vegan items, but also the increased interest among consumers in products that are produced in a more sustainable way. The Cadbury Plant Bar will be wrapped in 100% plant-based packaging made from bio-sourced plastics from renewable sources.
The new bar is the latest launch for Mondelēz that prioritises giving consumers more choices, especially when it comes to better-for-you eating. In recent years, the snacking giant has launched Cadbury Dairy Milk with 30% less sugar and an extension on BelVita, its breakfast biscuit brand, with 40% less of the sweetener.