It’s official: the famous Nutella chocolate spread has the right to a plant-based version, without animal products. Announced last May by the Ferrero group, the marketing of its new product will begin on September 4 in Italian and French supermarkets, and later in Belgium. Germany should also have the right to it, but at an undetermined date.
The “Nutella Plant Based” trademark was also registered in Italy in December 2023 at the Italian Patent and Market Office (UIBM). It will be produced in Italy at the Sant’Angelo dei Lombardi factory and its recommended unit price will be around 4.19 euros for 350 grams (compared to the average of 4.09 euros for the classic version).
Attracting “flexitarians”
The new plant-based recipe therefore eliminates skimmed milk powder from its ingredients in favour of a syrup made from rice and chickpeas. “The Ferrero Group is always on the lookout for new product categories to meet new food trends,” the Italian company told BFM Business in July, confirming information published a few weeks earlier by the specialist Italian press.
A way for the brand to appeal to “vegan consumers” but also to those “who want to diversify their diet with products of plant origin”. Vegans, vegetarians and “flexitarians” – those consumers who want to reduce their consumption of animal proteins – represent a growing segment. One that has the knack of attracting the attention of large agri-food groups.
An increasingly competitive market
But this is not the only reason that is pushing Ferrero to diversify: serious competitors such as Rigoni di Asagio and its Nocciolata brand or even Funky Veggie and Jardin Bio have already made a name for themselves in this market.
These brands have also chosen to ditch palm oil, which is accused of being partly responsible for deforestation in Asia. Thus, in January 2022, Nutella saw its complaint against Rigoni for denigration and parasitism dismissed.
At the beginning of the year, we even learned that the Italian champion of differentials had seen its market share decline by ten points over the past five years under the pressure of this hyper-competitive climate.
Source: BFM TV
