Nestlé will soon launch a Kit Kat vegan bar, which should be the first chocolate bar of a major candy brand to be 100% vegan.
A press release on the company’s website announced the change, noting that it was part of a larger effort by the global food brand to help “people adopt a more plant-based diet, with options in their wide variety of foods and drinks” .
“Flavor was a key factor when developing plant-based chocolate for our new vegan KitKat. We used our expertise in ingredients, along with a testing and learning approach, to create a delicious vegan alternative to our original KitKat chocolate,” a Nestlé representative said in the press release.
Several other major candy offerings, including Sour Patch Kids and Twizzlers, are vegan, but making vegan chocolates has proved challenging for some candy companies due to the presence of milk in many chocolate products. Dark chocolate is easier to make according to vegan standards, but some major brands, including Lindt, are not vegan.
“One of the most common requests we see on social media is for a vegan KitKat, so we are delighted to be able to fulfill that wish,” said Nestlé’s pastry chef, Alexander von Maillot, in the press release, adding: “Badly I can wait for people to try this incredibly tasty new KitKat. This is a product for everyone who wants a little more plants in life! “
The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee recommended for the first time in 2015 that a vegan diet or any diet that reduces the amount of animal products that a consumer eats or drinks has a lower environmental impact.