Bel Group has launched a certified vegan White Cheddar flavor in its plant-based Mini Babybel range. The new offering will come in paper pouches containing six wax-coated cheese alternative snacks, and will be available at Albertson’s Acme & East, Albertson’s Portland, Certco, and Hy-Vee stores from early May. In June, the product will see an increased distribution in Kroger stores nationwide.
According to a Bel representative, the plant-based White Cheddar iteration offers a similar taste and texture to the fan-favorite dairy cheddar cheese. It contains the signature sharp tanginess of cheddar cheese, but without the dairy content. The product is also a good source of vitamin B12 and calcium, providing added nutritional benefits for those who choose not to consume dairy products.
White Cheddar is the second flavor in Bel’s plant-based range of Mini Babybel, joining the original dairy-free variety. The original plant-based offering is based on a blend of coconut oil and starch and has a taste similar to mozzarella. Bel, however, did not disclose what ingredients it uses in the making of its plant-based White Cheddar, nor did the company reveal the new product’s detailed nutrition information.
The original plant-based variety contains less than 0.5g of protein per 100g, but has relatively high values of calcium (680g) and vitamin B12 (1.5mg). With the six-pack containing 100g of product, the consumer can acquire these nutritional benefits by consuming all five plant-based snacks. Notably, the new flavor will be sold in a pack of six snacks instead of five, with the company utilizing paper pouches with compostable cellophane.
Bel Group heavily focuses on improving its dairy alternatives, with core brands such as Mini Babybel, The Laughing Cow, Boursin, and Kiri, being the focus of its reformulation efforts. The company is working towards releasing ‘plant-based cheeses that look and taste like dairy cheeses and have a high level of nutrition’ in the next 18 months. It is also collaborating with biotech company Climax Foods on brand new offerings, expected to launch in the US and Europe in Q4 2024.
Bel’s partnership with Paris-based precision fermentation specialist Standing Ovation allows the company to manufacture animal-free casein for use in its dairy-free cheeses. The ingredient can be produced at scale in a laboratory and has dairy-identical properties, making it possible to formulate dairy-free cheeses, such as brie or blue cheese.
The original vegan-friendly Mini Babybel was launched in 2022 due to the lack of plant-based snack cheese alternatives with quality taste and texture in the market. According to Bel, White Cheddar is one of the most popular cheese flavors for the brand, making it a logical second flavor in its plant-based range of Mini Babybel.
Retailer shopper card data obtained over 34 weeks until mid-March 2023 revealed that Babybel Plant-Based has become the #1 new item in sales of all refrigerated vegetarian options. It also ranked #1 in trial and repeat of all new non-dairy cheese items, with 60% of sales attributed to new buyers. According to Ridhi Barber, senior brand manager at Babybel, the response to the brand among flexitarian and vegan shoppers has been overwhelmingly positive.
