Chocolate bars. Photo by Schöning/ullstein bild via Getty Images
Cadbury is planning to release a new version of its iconic Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate bar that will be vegan. The company has not confirmed a launch date for the plant-based chocolate, but it has been testing the concept for a while. Cadbury, which is owned by Mondelēz International, wants to meet the rising demand for dairy-free candy and snacks.
The original Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate bar had a glass and a half of milk. The company's current version of the bar states that it has "426 ml of fresh liquid milk in every 227 g of milk chocolate." Milk is one of the main ingredients, so finding the right dairy-free alternative that will continue to appeal to consumers is crucial. It is important to note that Mondelēz International will not stop selling the Dairy Milk chocolate bar.
Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate bar. Photo by John Phillips/UK Press via Getty Images
A study that looked at global search volumes online found that Cadbury Dairy Milk was the most popular chocolate bar in the world. The same study showed it was the favorite chocolate bar in 78 countries and had 466,680 Google searches per year. Nevertheless, Mondelēz International is willing to alter the recipe to give shoppers another vegan option.
"We are very aware of the rise in consumer interest towards vegan products. We have a brilliant R&D team who are focused entirely on new products and innovation to enable us to offer more great-tasting choices to consumers. We only launch products when we have achieved the best taste and texture that consumers expect from Cadbury, and there are lots of exciting developments in the pipeline," a U.K spokesperson told CBS.
The company has allegedly spent two years developing a vegan Cadbury chocolate bar and was supposed to release it in January of this year. It appears that finding a dairy-free milk that is not made from nuts has been an issue.
Mondelēz International has invested in vegan candy and snacks in the past, so releasing a new version of a chocolate bar makes sense considering the company's history. For example, Mondelēz International purchased Enjoy Life Foods in 2015, which makes allergy-friendly and gluten-free snacks. Enjoy Life Foods’ products do not have any dairy. In 2019, Mondelēz International also invested in Hu Master Holdings that makes vegan snacks.
The vegan food market is expected to reach $24.3 billion by 2026 and an estimated 65% of the global population is lactose intolerant. Consumer demand for vegan alternatives will continue to rise.
