The past year has seen an abundance of plant-based launches, as innovation continues to heat up in the market. FoodBev Media rounds up its top ten product picks below.

Oatly introduces soft serve ice cream in UK

This summer, Oatly unveiled its latest innovation, Oatly Vanilla Soft Serve ice cream. Oatly Vanilla Soft Serve is designed to provide the creamy texture of soft serve ice cream but made with oats, making it suitable for vegans and soy- and dairy-free.

The product was first previewed to UK customers during London Coffee Festival in April and is now available with a range of launch partners including The Breakfast Club and Fortnum & Mason.

Matcha drinks company Jenki will be using the product to create a Matcha Soft Serve ice cream available in its Matcha bars across London, while plant-based restaurant Neat Burger will be using the product in its soft serve shakes.

Fruit-tella makes chewy sweets range vegan

October saw confectionery brand Fruit-tella announce that it is transitioning its chewy sweets range to a fully vegan recipe.

The switch to vegan will be implemented across the full range of chews including the Strawberry Mix Chews, Fruit-tella Duo Stix and Fruit-tella Berries & Cherries.

All of the chews will still contain real fruit juice and be made with all-natural colourings and flavours. Rather than using animal-derived gelatin, commonly used in the production of confectionery and other food products, Fruit-tella’s new recipe sees the brand use plant-based gelling agents alongside other natural, vegan-friendly ingredients.

The new vegan-friendly recipe rolled out into stores this November.

Bel UK expands Nurishh line-up with feta-style cubes

In March, Bel expanded its dairy-free offering in the UK with the introduction of plant-based feta cheese-style cubes.

The new product was introduced under Bel’s Nurishh brand, which was first unveiled in 2021, as the dairy giant looked to take a slice of the burgeoning alt-cheese market. Since then, the Babybel maker has released a stream of dairy-free NPD, including a vegan version of its flagship snackable cheese.

Nurishh Plant-Based Greek Style Cubes are said to be made with only natural colours and flavours, while beinga source of vitamin B12 and free from gluten. The product comes in a diced format, with the resealable pack helping to preserve freshness.

Upfield releases dairy-free sour cream under Violife brand

Upfield expanded its Violife line-up in the US with the launch of a dairy-free sour cream alternative in January.

Offering a “creamy, rich and tangy taste,” the product can be used to replace sour cream in recipes as well as to top dishes such as nachos and chilli. Like the rest of the brand’s range, Violife Just Like Sour Cream is free from soy, palm oil, artificial flavours, nuts and gluten.

“It is important for Violife to continue expanding our portfolio to offer delicious dairy-free alternatives for everyone to enjoy,” said Debra Yoo, senior brand manager at Violife. “We created Just Like Sour Cream to have a creamy, cooling and tangy flavour so fans won’t miss out on what they know and love.”

GoodPop debuts dairy-free fudgy frozen bars

In February, frozen novelties brand GoodPop released a line of fudgy oat milk-based dessert bars.

Containing 130 calories or less, the gluten-free frozen treats are made using organic and fair trade ingredients.

The four “creamy and indulgent” varieties include Fudge n’ Vanilla Crunch, featuring a smooth vanilla filling, chocolate fudge shell and organic cacao nibs topping, while Double Chocolate Fudge combines a chocolate oat milk filling with a fudgy chocolate shell in a two-pop portion size.

Made with organic peppermint leaves, the 80-calorie Mint n’ Fudge Chip bars contain fair trade cocoa chips, and Fudge n’ Caramel Crunch is a chocolate and caramel oat milk pop, with a salted caramel filling and fudgy coating, dotted with cacao nibs.

Belcolade unveils Plant-Based White Couverture

Puratos-owned Belcolade unveiled its Plant-Based White Couverture in February.

Aimed at chocolatiers, pâtissiers and other professionals, the solution is said to offer a rich, creamy texture, perfect ‘snap’ and clean, white chocolate colour.

It is also free from allergens typically found in other white chocolate alternatives, such as coconut, nuts, soy and gluten.

Youri Dumont, SBU chocolate director at Puratos, said: “Creating this unique innovation consisted of trials of more than 50 ingredients in various combinations. Belcolade’s Plant-Based White Couverture boasts distinctively versatile properties and so can be formed into truly delicious, creative products without compromising on texture, appearance or quality. Offering customers more choice than ever, it is suitable for pralines, hollow figures, tablets, coatings, mousses, ganaches, dipping and flavouring.”

Novozymes solution enhances plant-based meat texture

In September, Novozymes developed a new bio-based solution, Vertera ProBite, aiming to enhance texture in plant-based meat alternatives.

Novozymes expects for the new solution to enable manufacturers to benefit from a natural alternative to unwanted texturizers and encourage more consumers to try plant-based options.

Vertera ProBite is based on the enzyme MTGase (microbial transglutaminase E.C. 2.3.2.13), designed to enhance texture. It has been specifically engineered to address texture problems in plant-based meat products, aiming to deliver an exceptional mouthfeel and consistency for a more satisfying culinary experience. The product is a liquid, designed for easy dosing and safe handling during food production.

The solution is approved as a processing aid, with its technological function fully realised during the food processing stage.

Meatless Farm returns to Tesco with pasta NPD

In September, UK meat alternative brand Meatless Farm continued to roll back out across retail with the launch of a new pasta product.

The new Chicken and Bacon Tortelloni SKU is filled with a chicken and bacon inspired base and plant-based cheese alternative, seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper.

It joins the brand’s other plant-based meat-filled pasta products, which have also launched back into stores following the brand’s acquisition by VFC Foods in June. Other products in the pasta range include No-Duja Ravioli and Beef, Red Wine & Porcini Girasole.

The brand is re-launching in Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Ocado, having made its retail return in August alongside the launch of a new pork and apple sausage product. Its plant-based mince has also now returned to Tesco shelves alongside the pasta line-up and its Chickenless Roast Joint.

Planteneers offers vegan Oktoberfest favourites

In September, Planteneers offered manufacturers a range of plant-based alternatives to classic Oktoberfest favourites such as Bavarian veal sausage, Thuringer and Nuremburg bratwurst.

The plant-based meat and dairy alternatives company, headquartered in Ahrensburg, Germany, has developed formulations for a range of product concepts including an entirely plant-based liver loaf.

“Our fiild-Meat flexible stabilising system is based on pea and fava bean protein, hydrocolloids and starch,” explained Pia Meinlschmidt, team leader of product management at Planteneers. “It lets manufacturers use conventional processing and filling lines to make a wide variety of products simply and easily.”

The stabilising system is also free of phosphates, soy and allergens. Meinlschmidt added that Planteneers can supply the systems either as all-in compounds including seasonings, flavourings and colours, or as purely functional systems to which the customer can then add their own seasonings.

Alland & Robert launches vegan gelatine alternative

In January, Alland & Robert introduced a plant-based texturizing agent to replace gelatine and other gelling agents in vegan confectionery products.

Syndeo Gelling is composed of acacia gum and plant-based hydrocolloids, which, when combined, strike a balance between the properties of gelatine and pectin, enabling soft textures and the elasticity associated with the former ingredient.

Alland & Robert says that Syndeo Gelling offers thickening, stabilising, bulking and binding properties, while being odourless, colourless and neutral-tasting.

In addition to confectionery applications, such as jelly sweets and marshmallows, the texturizing agent can be used in other products that typically contain gelatine, such as mousses.

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