As Veganuary draws to a close, and four years after it was first introduced to a global marketplace, the vegan version of Nestlé’s core KitKat brand is being withdrawn amid dwindling sales, reports Neill Barston.
Known as the kitKat V, it had been initially launched to significant fanfare, and won industry plaudits for its comparative taste profile and has been made with sustainable cocoa, is now considered to be no longer viable.
It comes amid a period of notable strain on confectionery manufacturers that have continued to face major increases in cocoa prices that have resulted in some companies seeking out replacement ingredients.
On whether these strategic changes in the plant-based segment impact Nestlé’s “Net Zero by 2050” objective, the spokesperson says: “KitKat is definitely part of the efforts that we are delivering in the confectionery category to support the Nestlé Net Zero commitment. KitKat is our leading global confectionery brand and will carry the efforts we are delivering at each stage of our supply chain.”
The company’s Net Zero roadmap includes decreasing emissions throughout supply chains and partnering with suppliers, farmers, and communities to increase the uptake of regenerative agricultural practices.
“In confectionery, our focus is on cocoa. The efforts we are putting around certification and the expansion of the Nestlé Cocoa Plan are reducing the cocoa carbon footprint. In 2023, we sourced 85.5% of our cocoa through the Nestlé Cocoa Plan. These efforts, combined with the transition to regenerative agricultural practices, will continue reducing our footprint,” the spokesperson tells us.
“In 2023, we distributed more than 1.2 million native and fruit trees in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana to build resilience at farm level but also to contribute to our efforts to reduce our emissions,” they reveal.
Nestlé is eyeing 20% reductions in its emissions by the end of this year and 50% by 2030 to reach zero emissions “by 2050 at the latest,” according to the company website.
“In 2023, the group reported a 13.58% net reduction of GHG emissions vs. 2018. [Some] 67% of the global Nestlé footprint comes from ingredients and finished goods. Ingredients are key to delivering our ambition and represented 50% of the net reductions in 2023,” the spokesperson concludes.
