Nestle’s family of brands plant-based Sweet Earth Foods, has unveiled new vegan hot dogs that are available at select North American Ahold grocery stores like FreshDirect and will expand its availability at Kroger stores in August. The new vegan hot dogs will be available nationally this summer at Target, Whole Foods, H-E-B, Sprouts, Amazon Fresh, and more.
The hot dogs will be priced at US$6.99 and will be 23% bigger than its competitors’ products and are developed using a pea and potato protein base. The non-GMO Project verified burger which is priced at US$5.99 is a reformulated version of its first Awesome Burger that was made of yellow pea protein, however, the new one is made using hemp and protein from fava beans along with pea protein as its base containing 19g protein per serving, which the company claims make them even meatier than previous versions.
According to a press release, General Manager of Sweet Earth Foods, Sara Wheeler, said that the team wanted to provide food options that consumers feel like eating “Our relentless approach to innovation allows us to offer consumers tasty, nutrient-diverse protein options they can feel good about incorporating into their diets. With more people eager to try delicious plant-based options, we’re excited to bring an even greater variety of favourites to consumers’ backyards and kitchens this summer.”
The new products were created in partnership with Nestle’s Research and Development Center for food in Ohio, as it is the global R&D network taking advantage of the parent company’s proprietary technologies to develop plant-based meat with the right taste and texture.
Senior product development specialist with Nestle and Sweet Earth, Ryan Riddle said, “The Sweet Earth Awesome Burger saw incredible success at its launch in 2019, but at Sweet Earth Foods we are constantly asking ourselves and our customers how we can make our plant-based proteins tastier, more craveable and more like traditional animal-based proteins. Over the last year, we have continued our product development, listened to consumer feedback, and made the Awesome Burger 2.0 even juicier with a beefier flavour and meatier texture.”
According to research by Mintel, consumers’ top two requests for plant-based substitutes are burgers and hot dogs and another one shows that 60% of U.S. consumers are limiting their meat consumption and increasingly shifting to plant-based foods.
In addition, Sweet Earth Foods recently unveiled a new plant-based Jerky in two flavours – Spicy Kung Pao and Sweet Korean BBQ making its first foray into the snacking sector.
Nestle continues to use its plant protein expertise and its innovation capacity to offer people around the world even more great plant-based options. The company is going ‘beyond the bun’ to create local dishes, dairy alternatives, coffee mixes and confectionery. In recent months, it has launched plant-based food and dairy-free Milo in Asia, a new dairy alternative for Europe, plant-based lattes in Japan and a vegan KitKat.
About Sweet Earth Foods
Based in Moss Landing, California, Sweet Earth is an award-winning, innovative plant-based food company that makes more than 75 culinary-driven, sustainably-minded products. The company has won over flexitarian flavour-seekers and health-conscious consumers alike with its diverse portfolio of delicious, nutritious new takes on timelessly appealing foods, from its Awesome Burgers, Mindful Chik’n™ and complete entrees, to breakfast items and snacks. Sweet Earth encourages consumers to Never Stop Tasting, setting the expectation that compromising on flavour isn’t an option with plant-based food; every product has been carefully crafted by the Sweet Earth culinary innovation team and is globally inspired for exceptional cravability, nutritional diversity and bold flavours from across the world.
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a health advice. We would ask you to consult a qualified professional or medical expert to gain additional knowledge before you choose to consume any product or perform any exercise.
