Less than five months on from the launch of a new 'cook from raw' burger, food giant Nestlé is already looking at ways to expand the alternative proteins market with the rollout of Garden Gourmet Incredible Mince, which the company claims is as versatile as raw mince beef.
The new SKU is developed from soy protein, natural plant extracts (including beetroot, carrot, and bell pepper) and vegetable fats.
"We believe we understand what the consumer is looking for - number one we bring the right taste profiles to the product, number two we always back it up with nutritional advantages – lower fat, correct amount of salt, the right vitamins and minerals," Wayne England, head of Nestlé's food strategic business unit, told a conference call.
The product will be initially launched in Austria, Germany, Norway and Sweden, with other European markets to follow shortly, Nestlé said.
New Opportunities
Following on from the Garden Gourmet Incredible Burger, which was launched in April in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, The Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, Incredible Mince opens up new opportunities for the alternative proteins market, Nestlé says, as well as meeting consumer demand for healthy, nutritious products.
While the composition of the mince is largely similar to that of the Incredible Burger, there are small differences – notably the removal of binding agents necessary to create a burger. As the company says, it can be used in any dish in which mince is used, such as chilli con carne, spaghetti bolognese or meatballs.
"Ostensibly it's the same, but certain choices of proteins that we don't need in the mince, we do need in the burger. But the underlying ingredients are the same," England explained.
The group also used the announcement to announce a renewal of the recipe for its Incredible Burger, which England describes as an "evolution".
UK Market
It hasn't all been plain sailing for Nestlé's plant-based odyssey; earlier this year, it announced that it was removing its Garden Gourmet burgers from the UK market in mid-April, after a short trial period – which many commentators attributed to growing competition in the alternatives protein market.
While Incredible Mince has not been earmarked for UK launch – at least not in the short term – England believes that the British market presents plenty of opportunities, as "plant-based diets are important" to the UK consumer.
"While we are establishing a space in the rest of Europe, we are continuously analysing our way into the UK market," he added.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine
