Nestlé unveils vegan egg and shrimp substitutes

Nestlé has announced that it is expanding its plant-based food portfolio with the introduction of vegan egg and shrimp alternatives.

The ‘versatile’ Garden Gourmet vEGGie egg substitute contains soy protein and omega-3 fatty acids. The new vegan offering can be scrambled or used in a frittata or pancakes, as well as in baking.

Meanwhile, Garden Gourmet Vrimp can be used in salads, poke bowls, stir-fried dishes and pasta recipes, or as a topping for pizzas.

The product is made from a combination of seaweed, peas and konjac root, which is emerging as a popular ingredient in plant-based seafood, and can be found in other recent launches such as Clo-Clo Vegan Foods’ plant-based shrimp entrée bowls.

Nestlé’s vegan shrimp alternative is said to offer “the authentic texture and flavour of succulent shrimps” and is a source of fibre.

The Swiss food giant announced its first foray into the plant-based seafood category last year, unveiling Garden Gourmet Vuna, which is now available in Switzerland, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.

Nestlé chief technology officer, Stefan Palzer, said: “Our new plant-based shrimp and egg alternatives have an authentic texture and flavour, as well as a favourable 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.”

The Vrimp and vEGGie products will be introduced as a ‘test-and-learn’ in select stores in Switzerland and Germany.