Nestlé launches plant-based shrimp and egg alternatives

Nestlé has announced it’s launching plant-based alternatives to egg and shrimp under its brand Garden Gourmet.

The vegan egg alternative, vEGGie, contains soy protein and omega-3 fatty acids and achieves a Nutri-Score A in Europe. It can be used in a variety of recipes, can be scrambled like real eggs, used to make pancakes and omelettes and is suitable as a baking ingredient in cakes and biscuits.

Nestlé has also added a plant-based seafood product to its vegan range, Garden Gourmet Vrimp. The shrimp alternative is made from seaweed, peas and konjac root. It is a source of fibre and comes with a Nutri-Score B in Europe. The food giant says that its plant-based alternative boasts the texture and flavour of shrimp and can be used in salads, stir fries, as a topping for pizza and in pasta.

Vrimp and vEGGie products were developed with proprietary technologies by R&D experts at Nestlé Research in Switzerland and the dedicated R&D Center for culinary food in Germany. They will now be introduced as a test-and-learn in a limited number of stores in Switzerland and Germany.

The two new products were developed following the successful consumers’ response to Nestlé’s plant-based tuna alternative, Garden Gourmet Vuna, which is sold in Switzerland, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.

Stefan Palzer, Nestlé Chief Technology Officer says, “Our new plant-based shrimp and egg alternatives have an authentic texture and flavor, as well as a favorable nutritional profile which makes them a good replacement for animal-based shrimp and eggs in a wide range of dishes. Our longstanding expertise in plant, protein and nutritional sciences enabled our teams to develop these great innovations in under a year. As we speak our R&D teams are already preparing the next wave of plant-based launches.”

As Wayne England, the head of Nestlé’s food business, says: “We’re proud to have an amazing range of plant-based foods that really deliver on great taste, texture and nutrition. 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.”

The food giant has heavily expanded into the plant-based market, producing vegan meat, seafood, ice-cream, milk and confectionery.