Nestle has expanded its plant-based foods offer this month with alt-egg and alt-shrimp options for sale on a trial basis in Germany and Switzerland.
As the photos show, both products look remarkably like the real things – but are vegan, containing soy proteins and omega-3 fatty acids.
“Our new plant-based shrimp and egg alternatives have an authentic texture and flavour, as well as a favourable nutritional profile which makes them a good replacement for animal-based shrimp and eggs in a wide range of dishes,” says Stefan Palzer, Nestlé chief technology officer.
He adds that the Swiss company’s longstanding expertise in plant, protein and nutritional sciences enabled its teams to develop the products in less than a year.
“Our R&D teams are already preparing the next wave of plant-based launches.”
The alt-egg product is branded Garden Gourmet vEGGie and can be used in a wide range of meals – scrambled like real eggs, used in a frittata or pancakes and even as an egg substitute in cakes or cookies.
The alt-shrimp is branded Garden Gourmet Vrimp. Vegan and made from a combination of seaweed, peas and konjac root, it is a source of fibre. Nestle says it has the authentic texture and flavour of real shrimps and is ideal for salads and poke bowls, or useful in stir-fries, pasta dishes or as a topping on pizzas.
Vrimp comes on the heels of Vuna, an alt-tuna product now sold in Switzerland, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.
“Plant-based seafood alternatives help to reduce overfishing and protect the biodiversity of our oceans,” says Nestle.
Both products were developed with Nestle’s proprietary technologies at the company’s Swiss research laboratory and its dedicated R&D centre for culinary food in Germany.
“The company is committed to offering people a variety of plant-based food and beverages that complement their daily diets, and that are good for them and good for the planet,” a company spokesperson said.
“With these new test launches, we’re continuing to expand our offering to give people great options they can use in their daily cooking, whether it’s for breakfast, lunch or dinner with friends or family,” said Wayne England, the head of Nestlé’s food business.
Nestle’s other plant-based foods include alt-dairy beverages, coffee lattes, condensed milk, and plant-based alternatives to meat, fish and seafood which are also used as ingredients in a range of plant-based meals such as lasagna and pizza.
