As the company continues to move towards plant-based foods, multinational food corporation Danone has recently launched a range of new dairy-free products in the UK under its Alpro brand. Earlier this year, Danone completed the conversion of one of its dairy yogurt production facilities in France into an oat milk facility. The conversion was announced in 2021 as the market for plant-based products continued its trajectory.
As initially reported by The Grocer, Alpro has launched four new Plant Protein products — drinks in chocolate and original flavours and yogurt alternatives in red fruit and tropical fruit varieties. The range will be supported by a major £2 million marketing campaign running from April to June. Additionally, Alpro has introduced smaller pack sizes for two popular milk alternatives, Creamy Oat, and Almond No Sugars; both are now available in 500ml cartons.
Risk and opportunity
The launch reflects Danone’s increasing focus on the plant-based sector. In 2019, the company told vegconomist that it aimed to triple its worldwide plant-based sales to around €5 billion by 2025, predicting that consumers would continually shift towards plant-based in the coming years.
Danone’s climate transition plan views the growth of plant-based foods as both a risk and an opportunity for the company, which has historically focused mostly on dairy products. The company’s website says a “strategic move towards plant-based food and drinks” began in 2017 with the acquisition of organic and plant-based company Whitewave; at the time, Danone had reportedly been struggling to improve its annual sales growth, and saw expanding into plant-based foods as a possible solution.
“Our plant-based category is a key pillar”
Danone also launched plant-based versions of its popular Actimel probiotic drinks in the UK in 2020, and has introduced plant-based Activia yogurts in some markets such as Canada and mainland Europe. In North America, the company owns plant-based brands Silk and So Delicious, which continue to launch new products such as yogurts and creamers.
“Our acquisition of our plant-based portfolio, including flagship brands Silk and Alpro, made Danone a global leader and pioneer in plant-based offering, with the know-how and experience to answer the consumer demands to more flexitarian eating habits. Our plant-based category is a key pillar of our lower-carbon product development strategy,” says Danone’s climate transition plan.
To find out more, stay tuned for our upcoming interview with Danone.
