Hellmann’s revamps vegan mayo to tackle food waste and widen appeal
Hellmann’s has redesigned and reformulated its vegan mayo in a bid to tackle food waste prevention and appeal to flexitarians.
The revamped product has been branded ‘Plant Based Mayo’ and now contains less rapeseed oil, in place of the addition of xantham gum and sunflower oil, reported the Grocer.
While still 100% free from animal products and certified by the European Vegetarian Union and the Vegan Society, the brand said that the term “vegan” posed as a barrier for flexitarians, compared to the more inclusive category of “plant-based”.
The rebranded mayo products will start to roll out to supermarkets across the country, however, Unilever also said it was preparing to launch new squeeze bottle technology to minimise any mayo left behind.
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The low-waste feature uses a vegan coating inside of Hellmann’s plant-based mayonnaise squeeze bottles that helps the product glide out without sticking, in a bid to keep bottles in the recycling process and avoid them being rejected due to exceeding the maximum weight threshold.
The 100% recyclable plastic bottles also aim to reduce the the FMCG’s use of virgin plastic, contributing to Unilever’s overall sustainability goals.
Hellmann’s senior science and program leader Krassimir Velikov said: “Hellmann’s plant-based products have enjoyed growth for the last four years, and this looks set to continue with the market predicted to double by 2030.
“We’re also seeing squeeze bottles grow as a preferred format for consumers. So, cracking this problem has been crucial. Not only to ensure consumer satisfaction with our products, but ultimately to improve repeat purchase.”
The latest sustainability change comes amid Hellmann’s introducing a food waste reduction AI-enabled tool in March, to help shoppers use up more of the food in their fridge.
In 2022, the brand also explored food waste reduction through the launch of a ‘Smart’ jar that told consumers when their fridge was at the right temperature.
