Cathedral City has made its debut into the vegan market with the launch of its plant-based cheese alternative range.
Available in a 280g block format at £3.60, the cheese made from coconut oil and potato starch can also be purchased in 150g grated and sliced variations at RRP £2.30 in Big 4 grocer Tesco.
The mature cheddar flavour cheese alternative, which the brand says is ‘creamy, smooth and full of flavour’, has been in development for several years.
A survey by Cathedral City which looked into consumer feedback on the new range found that 84% of shoppers with a dairy-free lifestyle would continue to purchase the vegan cheese.
“Demand for free from alternatives is soaring but for some shoppers, such as flexitarians, there hasn’t been an offering which is good enough to encourage them to purchase regularly,” Saputo Dairy UK Cathedral City head of marketing, Neil Stewart said.
“This launch is a momentous occasion for Cathedral City; extending our portfolio into dairy-free alternatives for the first time with a range of great tasting alternatives to cheese, meaning more people can enjoy our delicious products.”
Earlier this year, research conducted by Toluna found that 49% of 1,160 adults said they want to consume food and drink products that are healthier, vegan, and more sustainable.
The data also found that since 2019, the proportion of meat-eaters has reduced from 83% to 78% and 76% of the survey’s respondents had bought a plant-based alternative food.
As well as Cathedral City’s move into the plant-based sector, several other leading brands have recently launched vegan alternatives to their well-known products.
Last month, Nestlé unveiled a vegan version of its chocolate wafer snack, Kit Kat and Hippeas collaborated with plant-based meat alternative company, This to create a ‘Isn’t Smoky Bacon’ flavour of its puff snacks.
