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March 17, 2023: Nestlé has decided to discontinue the Garden Gourmet meat-free and Wunda alt-dairy brands in retail markets in the UK and Ireland, as well as the Mezeast brand of seasoning mixes, sauces, spreads, and pastes. The company said that it plans to focus on its core portfolio, as scaling new brands in retail requires significant and sustained investment. Garden Gourmet was launched as a range of animal-free burgers, mince, and sausages, while Wunda is a pea-based milk alternative. Mezeast, on the other hand, offers a range of seasoning mixes, sauces, spreads, and pastes from Middle Eastern cuisine.
Despite the discontinuation of these products, Nestlé remains committed to the plant-based category either through internal innovation or mergers and acquisitions. The company believes that a more plant-based diet is the future, and expanding vegetarian and flexitarian choices is one of its strategic priorities. Nestlé is assessing alternative ways to address these strategic priorities, either organically through its established portfolio of brands or via acquisitions.
Nestlé clarified that Garden Gourmet is a well-established brand in other countries and will still be available in foodservice in the UK and Ireland. The company is also exploring other product areas where it has a presence, such as alternatives to its KitKat confectionery snack and a vegan alternative to its Carnation milk brand. Nestlé sees opportunities to invest in and leverage brands like Mindful Chef and Simply Cook, which already offer vegan and plant-based options.
The UK plant-based market is very crowded and competitive, and the last two years have been particularly challenging, according to Nestlé. The company believes that establishing and scaling new brands requires more investment over a longer period of time than originally anticipated. The withdrawal of Garden Gourmet only applies to retail in the UK and Ireland, while Wunda was initially launched in France, the Netherlands, and Portugal, and Mezeast was launched in the Netherlands. Nestlé did not confirm where the Wunda and Mezeast brands would still be marketed.
