Danone Netherlands launches 100% plant-based varieties of Activia and Danio

09 Mar 2020 --- Danone has released new plant-based varieties for its Activia and Danio yogurt brands in the Netherlands. Targeting the expanding demographic of flexitarians, the brand aims to innovate its products around shifting consumer taste preferences that lean more toward a mix of plant- and animal-based products. This launch is a first for Danone as it is the first time the brand is focusing on 100 percent plant-based products.

This launch is marketed as fully in line with Danone’s philosophy of “One Planet. One Health.” Notably, “The Plant-Based Revolution” is now in full swing in food and beverages, flourishing as a result of consumer interest in health, sustainability and ethics, which ties into the broader consumer lifestyle trend towards cleaner living.

“At Danone, we are convinced that our health and that of the planet are inextricably linked,” says Dirk Holzapfel, Danone Netherlands Country Manager. “By marketing both dairy and vegetable varieties, we fully answer this philosophy. This also offers the consumer the choice between the two.”

Plant-based Activia and Danio.A growing number of people are consciously opting for a flexitarian menu, stresses Danone. More than half of Dutch consumers surveyed by the company have indicated that they eat less meat and more often opt for a vegetable alternative. 

Activia’s 100 percent vegetable-based offering is produced with soy and exclusive vegan cultures. The products can already be found this week in Jumbo supermarkets in the Netherlands and will soon launch in Albert Heijn and other grocery chains next week. The product comes in three flavor varieties of oats, peach and vanilla.

Meanwhile, the vegan Danio coconut-based product will be made available in Albert Heijn supermarkets across the country beginning next week, followed by launches in other grocery chains. The product comes in three flavor varieties of stracciatella, peach-vanilla and mango-lime. “Both products do not only fit in a regular diet, but also in a vegetarian and vegan lifestyle,” states the company.

Focus on plant-based nutrition
In a recent report by Kerry, health-boosting hero ingredients are spotlighted as tools used to elevate demand for plant-based products. Specifically, functional ingredients, such as green coffee extract, tea, ginger, turmeric and probiotics, are expected to support digestion and gut health, while unlocking new drivers of consumption for dairy-free yogurt. 

Exemplifying this trend, maker of organic coconut-based beverages Harmless Harvest announced its expansion with a full suite of plant-based coconut yogurt alternative products earlier this year. The product is marketed as rich in medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) from coconuts, made using a traditional yogurt process to include live and active cultures for gut health.

In relevant developments within the space, clean-label dairy alternatives company Yofix Probiotics recently raked in US$2.5 million in a Series A investment round. The main plant-based yogurts today are produced from soy, almonds or cashew. Yofix products are soy-free. “We have chosen sustainable ingredients like oats, lentils and sesame to use in our products,” Grün adds. 

Meanwhile, across the wider dairy and dairy alternatives category, the influence of Innova Market Insights Top Ten Trends for 2020 remains clearly apparent, which is facing key challenges amid changing consumer tastes. 

By Benjamin Ferrer