Flora is launching vegan double cream made from fava beans and vegetable oil in the UK.
According to the Upfield-owned brand, its Professional Plant double cream behaves “just like dairy cream.”
The new double cream is currently only available to service industry professionals and is suitable for pouring, cooking, and whipping. Upfield Professional’s head of marketing Alan Black described the new cream as a “game-changer for the foodservice industry.”
“Not only does it cater to those following a vegan diet, Flora Plant helps chefs overcome the challenge of managing allergens,” Black told FoodBev Media.
“We believe following a vegan diet, or a diet that requires the removal of specific allergens shouldn’t mean compromising on taste,” added Black. “With Flora Plant, operators know they can serve delicious dairy-free dishes to all consumers with total confidence.”
Upfield is currently the largest plant-based consumer packaged goods company in the world. Upfield operates in more than 95 countries and initially created Flora as a healthier alternative to traditional butter and margarine.
Last year, Flora’s spread went 100 percent vegan to improve its impact on the planet and on human health. The brand’s vegan margarine contains 60 percent less saturated fat than typical dairy butter. It also has a third of the carbon footprint of traditional butter and spreads.
“Health and well-being has never been so important to consumers,” Steven Hermiston, UK and Ireland general manager at Flora parent company Upfield, said in a statement. “People care more about what goes into the products they are feeding themselves and their families.”
Declining Dairy
Demand for dairy-free alternatives is on the rise. More than a quarter of Brits now regularly drink vegan milk. According to market research firm Mintel, sales of plant-based milk increased by 10 percent between 2017 and 2019.
The British dairy industry is struggling. According to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), one farmer leaves the industry every week. AHDB found that between February and October 2019, the number of dairy producers in the UK dropped by 30-35 percent.
In Scotland, a survey found that around more than half of Scottish dairy farmers were not confident in the dairy sector. Sixty percent said they were “not so confident” or “not at all confident” about the future of the industry.
