Nestlé revamps plant-based food range

Nestlé has expanded its plant-based food range in Europe with its new 'cook from raw' Garden Gourmet Incredible Mince. It is also introducing a new and improved version of its Garden Gourmet Incredible Burger.

The move comes, Nestlé says, as people continue to look at different ways to balance their protein intake and lower the environmental footprint of their diets.

Nestlé says it is committed to offering a wide range of plant-based products that taste great and offer people new veggie food experiences.

The new Garden Gourmet Incredible Mince is said to be just as versatile and juicy as minced beef. It is easily shapeable, making it perfect to create balls or skewers that can be seasoned to taste. It can also be crumbled up in a pan, for example to make a delicious Bolognese sauce or 'Chili Sin Carne', according to the company.

Like the Garden Gourmet Incredible Burger, the plant-based mince looks and cooks like raw beef due to its blend of protein from soy, natural plant extracts – beetroot, carrot, and bell pepper – and vegetable fats.

The Garden Gourmet Incredible Mince will be available starting in September in a number of European countries, including Austria, Belgium, Germany, Norway and Sweden.

As part of continuous efforts to improve its plant-based range, Nestlé has also renewed the recipe of its Garden Gourmet Incredible Burger just seven months after its first launch. Based on consumer feedback, Nestlé says it was able to increase the juiciness, grilled beefy flavour and meat-like texture of the burger.

The burger is claimed to create the experience of eating a beef burger using natural soy and wheat protein, colour from natural plant extracts, chopped coconut oil, and a proprietary method of fermenting plant-based ingredients to boost the 'umami' flavour of the burger.

Wayne England, the head of Nestlé's food business, said: "We're pleased at the positive response to our Garden Gourmet Incredible Burger from a broad range of consumers. We have listened to their feedback and we have not sat still. This autumn we are launching a next generation that we are sure people will appreciate. As an extension to this exciting and fast-growing burger-led 'cook from raw' platform, we are proud to launch Garden GourmetIncredible Mince. This is a really versatile ingredient that is a real winner in many dishes. We will continue to work hard to improve our Garden Gourmet offers and to bring new formats to the market."

The 'cook from raw' products are just one element of a growing trend towards plant-based foods, Nestlé notes, and Garden Gourmet has 30 years' experience in this space. For example, it also offers a wide range of 'ready to heat' vegetarian or vegan meat substitutes such as filet pieces, burgers and sausages that are great ingredients to add to favourite meals.

Alongside meat alternatives, Garden Gourmet is also continuing to expand its range of products based on the goodness of vegetables. These already include a variety of balls, patties and bakes made with vegetable pieces, cheeses, grains and pulses.

England added: "On top of meat alternatives, our chefs and plant-based food experts are developing tasty and nutritious veggie-centric balls, patties and bites. These are full of flavor and surprising textures from vegetables, grains and pulses to inspire plant-based or flexitarian eaters to try more of our Garden Gourmet range."