Ahead of a national rollout next year, select retailers in the southeast US have added a plant-based version of the iconic Philadelphia cream cheese to their shelves.
According to a company statement, the recipe was two years in the making, and the product’s launch represents the first time a mainstream cream cheese brand has entered the US plant-based market.
Company data from 2021 found that less than half of consumers who try plant-based spreads become repeat customers, despite 52 percent wanting to increase the proportion of plant-based foods in their diet.
“The influx of flexitarian consumers has driven growth within the plant-based market, which is now more than 20x the size of the vegan population,” said Robert Scott, president of research and development at The Kraft Heinz Company. “As the brand that has set the cream cheese standard for 150 years, we realised the current options weren’t meeting consumer expectations and there was no trust leader.
“Philadelphia Plant-Based spread not only provides a solution that mirrors the taste and texture of our iconic Philadelphia brand, but it also reinforces Kraft Heinz’s bet to bring plant-based offerings to the masses.”
Philadelphia Plant-Based spread is free from dairy, lactose and gluten, and the main protein source is derived from faba beans. The full ingredients list is as follows:
WATER, COCONUT OIL, MODIFIED POTATO STARCH, FABA BEAN PROTEIN, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF SALT, XANTHAN GUM, CAROB BEAN GUM, GUAR GUM, LACTIC ACID, SORBIC ACID AS A PRESERVATIVE, CITRIC ACID, NATURAL FLAVOR.
The original cream cheese flavour is currently available in the southeast US, with new flavours planned for the national rollout in summer 2023.
In January 2022, Philadelphia Plant-Based launched in the UK, where the brand is owned by Mondelez.
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