Schouten Launches Plant-Based Snack for Kids Packed with 46% Vegetables – vegconomist

As insufficient vegetable intake continues to be a growing problem, especially among children, Schouten, a pioneering Dutch company in plant proteins, has introduced an NPD for the plant-based snack segment: Vegetable Bites.

Schouten’s new bites, packed with 46% vegetables, include corn, carrot, garden peas, onion, and red bell pepper. The nuggets are said to offer a crunchy texture. To make them appealing to children and adults alike, they come in heart, round, and star shapes.

“80% of the children who tried the bites would like to eat them again. Adults also responded very positively to this introduction,” comments Kees Van den Heuvel, Trade Marketer at Schouten.

The growing snacking category

According to Van den Heuvel, the NPD addresses the increasing demand for plant-based snacks and the need to include more vegetables in people’s diets.

The Dutch Nutrition Center recommends eating at least 250 g of vegetables daily. Meanwhile, regarding consumer trends, a study by research firm Markteffect found that 27% of Dutch people who purchase alternative meats (54% of the population) regularly consume vegetarian or plant-based snacks.

A family business founded in 1990, Shouten Europe is known worldwide for its innovative products, especially plant-based meat and fish. The company markets and supplies an extensive range of products, mainly under private labels, to more than 50 countries. The company also develops many products based on customer demand.

Last week, the company’s No Egg White product was listed in the top 10 best innovations at this year’s Anuga gastronomic fair in Cologne, Germany. A few months ago, the company launched Southern Fried Chickenless Pops, an alternative to chicken made from soy and wheat, for the plant-based snacks category.

“In recent years, we have seen consumers increasingly opt for plant-based snacks. The growing range of vegan options in the catering industry plays a stimulating role in this,” points out Van den Heuvel.

Schouten’s new Vegetable Bites will be available globally to corporate clients starting this week in retail, out-of-home, and other food industry channels.