In Short : Globally in markets including the United States, Latin America, China, South East Asia, and Europe, the Swiss company sells Sensational VUNA, a plant-based alternative to tuna fish; vrimp, plant-based shrimp made from seaweed; and plant-based alternatives to chicken shreds and eggs among others.
In Detail : Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) major Nestle India is on track to launch plant–based protein products in the country.
The company will be launching these products in the coming few quarters, Suresh Narayanan, chairman and managing director, of Nestle India, told Business Standard on the sidelines of the third annual Pritam Singh Memorial Conference, organised by the Birla Institute of Management Technology.
“I am not looking to launch whole chicken or fish, but products more relevant to the Indian market,” he said while refusing to divulge more details.
Globally in markets including the United States, Latin America, China, South East Asia, and Europe, the Swiss company sells Sensational VUNA, a plant-based alternative to tuna fish; vrimp, plant-based shrimp made from seaweed; and plant-based alternatives to chicken shreds and eggs among others.
In India, the company will be competing with other FMCG majors like ITC Foods and Tata Consumer Products for a stake in the market, alongside a host of start-ups like the Virat Kohli-backed Blue Tribe and Imagine Meats.
Narayanan also drew attention to the company’s commitment to sustainability at a press conference earlier at the event, with the theme ‘Reimagining the future of business: The challenges of leadership, digitalisation and sustainability’.
“We plan to start using stubble from rice fields to generate energy for making steam at our Moga factory from the first quarter of next year. This will help reduce stubble burning in the Moga district by 4-5 per cent and will, hopefully, have a positive effect on Delhi’s air quality,” he said.