Nestlé’s Garden Gourmet has brought back its animal-friendly alternative to foie gras, Voie Gras – but only for a limited time.
The company said its plant-based alternative was a hit during its seasonal launch in Spain and Switzerland last year, and Nestlé’s chefs and developers have worked to improve the products’ recipe and taste.
Real foie gras is made by force-feeding ducks or geese with a metal tube, causing their livers to become diseased and swell up to 10 times their normal size. This process is considered cruel and inhumane by animal welfare organisations and has led to the development of plant-based alternatives like Nestle’s’.
Voie Gras is made using miso paste, sea salt, and a soy base, giving it an authentic texture, flavour, and appearance that works in all kinds of dishes.
Whether hot or cold, sweet or savoury, Nestle said the versatile ingredient can be combined with favourite foods to make various recipes, from canapes to desserts.
The product, which comes in a glass jar, is developed and produced at Nestlé’s R&D centre in Singen, Germany, where culinary experts, product developers, and scientists work on innovative products for its food business, including chilled, frozen, and shelf-stable plant-based meat alternatives.
“Our teams worked hard to improve the recipe, taste, and shelf-life, bringing us even closer to animal-based foie gras,” said Torsten Pohl, global head of R&D for Nestle’s food category.
“Additionally, leveraging the flexibility of our R&D production lines, we can now produce it on a larger scale, enabling us to support a second seasonal launch this year.”
Marjolijn Niggebrugge, European business head of plant-based meal solutions at Nestlé, says Voie Gras is a great-tasting seasonal option to delight consumers who continue to look for plant-based alternatives while paying attention to the environment and animal welfare.
Nestle’s Voie Gras is available in Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands. Meanwhile, in Singapore, Dr Foods also launched a plant-based foie gras made from cashew nuts and malt.
