Milk- and Dairy Alternatives

Upfield Launches Whippable Flora Plant Cream in Australia, Aims to Become 100% Plant-Based

Plant-based dairy leader Upfield has launched Flora Plant Cream, an alternative to thickened cream, for the Australian retail market.

The product is whippable and is said to perform just as well as dairy cream in all applications. Like the plant-based cream offered by Upfield under the Elmlea brand in the UK, it uses lentils as a base and is free of palm oil.

Upfield has previously offered Flora cream for food service, both in Australia and in other markets such as the UK and the US. However, this is the first time the product has been available in Australian retail stores. Sold in 500ml cartons, the cream has now launched at all major supermarkets across the country.

“For Flora, we recognised a real gap in the cream category, with no current plant-based alternative for those who enjoy creamy sweet and savoury dishes without compromising taste or performance,” Anita Hancock, head of marketing at Flora, told inside FMCG. “Our plant-based cream is not just for those with lactose intolerances or dairy avoiders – it’s for everyone trying to include a little more plant in their week.”

© Upfield/Flora

Becoming 100% plant-based

The launch comes as Upfield works towards the goal of becoming fully plant-based; it currently still uses small amounts of animal ingredients, despite being described as the world’s largest plant-based company. In 2020, Upfield received backlash after adding buttermilk back into its Flora Buttery spread.

But the company has said that it eventually aims to remove all animal ingredients from its products, and is working to close the sensory gap between dairy and plant-based foods to make this possible. Upfield claims that its Flora Plant Butter is already on par with conventional butter, and says it is conducting R&D to further improve the taste and texture of cream and cheese alternatives.

“In creams we’ll take one year, and cheese two to three years, and then we’re done,” chief R&D officer John Verbakel told Dairy Reporter last month.

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