KANSAS CITY — As companies hit refresh for the new year, many are introducing specialty vegan and plant-based items to shelves.
Coming to retail in January, General Mills, Inc.’s Lärabar and Cascadian Farms brands will expand with new plant-based flavor options. Lärabar’s vegan double chocolate peanut butter flavor features seven ingredients. Cascadian Farms, which is also owned by General Mills, released its non-GMO and organic granola in an on-the-go pouch, specialized for convenient snacking.
The pouches are available in honey cashew and cocoa almond flavors and contain 10 grams of plant-based protein and 4 grams of fiber, according to the company.
Vegan chickpea company Hippeas has added a flavor of its chickpea tortilla chip: nacho vibes. The new nacho cheese-inspired flavor joins the company’s line of sea salt, ranch and sea salt and lime flavors.
“This product more than stands up well next to its mainstream competitor from a taste and texture standpoint, but that’s where the comparisons end because Hippeas Nacho Vibes Chickpea Tortilla Chips are vegan and contain the nutritional benefits of both protein and fiber as well as no artificial colors, flavors or ingredients of any kind,” said Julia Hecht, chief marketing officer at Hippeas. “Plus, these chips are made from super sustainable chickpeas, so we feel good about this product on all sides.”
Also expanding its vegan options is Violife, which specializes in dairy-free cheese. The company introduced a dairy-free sour cream alternative, which is now available at Walmart, Inc. locations. The Violife Just Like Sour Cream has a similar tangy taste to traditional sour cream, minus the dairy, according to the company.
“It is important for Violife to continue expanding our portfolio to offer delicious dairy-free alternatives for everyone to enjoy,” said Debra Yoo, senior brand manager at Violife. “We created Just Like Sour Cream to have a creamy, cooling, and tangy flavor so fans won’t miss out on what they know and love.”
