Lindt Is Rolling Out Vegan Oat Milk Chocolate Bars In Eco Packaging

Leading Swiss chocolatier Lindt & Sprüngli has announced that it will be launching a range of vegan chocolate bars made with oat milk this year. There will be three flavours and will be wrapped in 100% recyclable packaging. So far, the company has revealed that it will initially be available in Germany this November, with no further information on when it will be launching in other markets. 

Lindt, one of the world’s biggest chocolate brands and famous for its smooth milk chocolates, is set to introduce its first vegan offerings. Lindt will offer three flavours – Hazelnut, Salted Caramel and Cookie – and will retail for US$3.39 per 100 gram bar. 

The vegan milk chocolate bars are 100% dairy-free and nut-free, and are made with oat milk, which has a far lighter environmental footprint compared to conventional dairy milk, and is considered one of the most carbon-friendly plant milk alternatives. 

For now, the chocolate bars will only be available in Germany from November onwards. There has been no information on whether or when it will be released globally. 

Lindt says that the new bars are not only targeting the growing plant-based market, but also demand from flexitarians for dairy-free options and those who are lactose intolerant – which represents almost 90% of adults in East Asia, according to recent research. 

The news also comes as plant-based options become increasingly popular amongst mainstream consumers in the past few months. Though plant-based foods had been on the steady rise as shoppers become more conscious of their health and the environment, plant-based sales have surged in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic due to concerns about food safety and the dangers of an animal-centric food system. 

Multiple other food manufacturing giants have also begun to add vegan items to their product list. Most recently, Nestlé, the largest food manufacturer in the world, announced a new 100% plant-based condensed milk product under its brand name Carnation, also made with oat milk and rice milk. 

Meanwhile, Mondelez revealed earlier this year that it is working on developing a vegan version of Cadbury’s iconic chocolate bar Dairy Milk. Though no official date for the launch has been set, the company says that it is committed to creating a “vegan product that retains the texture and taste that our consumers expect and love from Cadbury”. 

In fact, the big food industry is so keen to jump on the vegan bandwagon that a recent report found that nearly half of the world’s largest food retailers and manufacturers have now set up teams or departments dedicated to developing and creating new plant-based products. 

Lead image courtesy of Lindt.