Nestlé to Test a Plant-based Protein

Nestlé will pilot a plant-based product through the company’s newly established U.S. R+D Accelerator, bringing it to the U.S. market later this year as a test-and-learn. The product is made with animal-free protein from Perfect Day. According to Perfect Day, the protein, made through precision fermentation, is identical to the whey protein found in cow’s milk, offers good nutritional and functionality benefits that is suitable for vegans and is lactose-free.

The product was developed by Nestlé R&D teams in Switzerland. Heike Steiling, Head of Nestlé’s Development Center for dairy products: “We are exploring emerging technologies that can lead to animal-friendly alternatives that are nutritious and sustainable, without compromising on taste, flavor, and texture. Bringing together our unmatched R&D expertise, innovation capabilities and scale, we are working to develop and test novel animal-free dairy protein-based products to complement our wide-ranging portfolio of plant-based alternatives.”

The recently created U.S. R+D Accelerator is focused on identifying opportunities and aims to bring highly differentiated product concepts to the market in only six months.

Dairy products remain an important part of Nestlé’s portfolio and provide essential nutrients, especially for young children, while milk production contributes to the economic livelihoods of farmers globally.