European bakery manufacturer Baker & Baker is launching a quartet of vegan bakery items in the UK following a successful debut in France and Germany last year.
Rolling out to bakeries, foodservice operators, and retailers now, the line-up comprises:
- Pink velvet ring doughnuts with strawberry flavoured icing and white sugar strands
- Dark chocolate cookie pucks featuring 30% Belgian chocolate
- Blueberry muffins with a crumble topping, and
- Dark chocolate muffins with Belgian dark chocolate chunks.
The doughnuts and muffins require thawing before serving, while the cookies can be baked from frozen. Each product has a shelf life of between two and five days and are said to be ‘clean label’ and either palm oil free or made with sustainably sourced palm oil, Baker & Baker said.
The NPD had been developed to meet the increase in flexitarian and vegan diets, said the Wirral-headquartered business, which formally launched as a standalone firm following separation from CSM Bakery Solutions last year.
In-depth read: Vegan in bloom – what’s the potential for plant-based growth in bakery?
“According to The Vegan Society, one in four Brits have reduced the amount of animal products they are consuming since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Helen Sinclair, Baker & Baker’s UK marketing manager. “However, in developing the range, it was fundamental the products also delivered on taste.”
Sinclair added that the business saw the launch as the “start of a journey and will continue to expand and evolve the range to meet customer demand”.
This follows the recent launch of lower fat and sugar doughnuts by Baker & Baker as part of its Simpsons range which is produced under licence from Disney. The treats, which come in strawberry and cocoa variants, contain 38% and 37% less sugar respectively compared to the average doughnut and are also 46% and 62% lower in fat.
Baker & Baker CEO John Lindsay recently highlighted the challenges posed by the incoming HFSS regulations but added that “there are opportunities for the entire bakery sector to transition certain product lines to lower fat, sugar and calorie alternatives where it is viable and there is clear consumer appeal”.
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