KitKat launches new vegan range

Food and beverage giant Nestlé launched the vegan KitKat, which uses a rice-based milk alternative.  The bar was developed by chocolatiers and food scientists in Nestlé’s research and development centre in York.

KitKat realised what while people’s need for ‘breaks,’ as the famous brand strapline says, haven’t changed, the way they take them has, explains Sacha Macchi, brand manager for KitKat. With the food and beverage market moving towards plant-based alternatives, the brand saw the opportunity to recreate a much-loved product and make it vegan-friendly.

“KitKat is such a successful brand because it has evolved throughout its history, and the arrival of our vegan-friendly bar means there is now a delicious alternative for anyone looking to enjoy a plant-based break,” says Macchi.

 

The new packaging echoes the product’s plant-based ingredients, with different illustrations of vegetation, including leaves and nuts, creating a frame around the centre of the pack. At the very heart of it lie a ‘V’ letter monogram and boldly written ‘Vegan,’ both in the brand’s iconic red colour, to differentiate the range from the masterbrand.

“Our challenge when we set out to create a vegan-friendly KitKat was to recreate this iconic product using plant-based alternatives. To achieve this, we worked very hard to get the right balance between the milk alternative and the cocoa. The result is a vegan chocolate that we’re very proud of, and I hope all KitKat fans will love it as much as we do,” says Louise Barrett, head of the Nestlé Confectionery Product Technology Centre in York.

Nestlé has also developed other vegan options, including dairy-free coffee mixes and 'Carnation Vegan' condensed milk.