Vegan Burger with New Recipe from Nestlé

An even meatier, completely revamped version of the successful Garden Gourmet Sensational Burger will hit shelves in mid-October. The new recipe for the veggie patty is the result of Nestlé's research and development expertise. Even today, Nestlé's veggie brand holds a market share of more than 70 percent, making it the market leader in the «raw» plant-based burger segment in Germany. In the overall German veggie food market, Garden Gourmet has now become the second-strongest brand.

The market for plant-based nutrition and meat substitute products is growing dynamically. In just one year, the veggie segment has achieved growth of 67 percent. With Garden Gourmet, we are among the market leaders. Nestlé's research expertise helps us bring products to market that truly convince. In terms of taste, our vegan burger is top-notch thanks to the new recipe, which took only seven months to develop. Consumer feedback served as the basis. The patty is now even juicier and looks as if it were shaped by hand.

Heike Miéville-Müller, responsible for business development at Garden Gourmet in Germany

The Garden Gourmet Sensational Burger also impresses when it comes to nutritional values. The new version contains more dietary fibre as well as even less fat, salt, and carbohydrates. Unlike its animal-based counterpart, the vegan patty contains no cholesterol. According to the Nutri-Score nutritional labelling system, the plant-based burger is rated «A».

For more than 30 years, Garden Gourmet has been developing vegetarian and vegan products with great passion. The brand's roots lie in Israel, where it was founded in 1985 by members of a kibbutz. The traditional cuisine of the Levant and the Middle East, which places a clear focus on vegetable-based dishes, has since influenced Garden Gourmet's entirely meat-free product range.

The new patty variant also impresses in the pan and on the grill. Natural plant extracts and coconut oil give the Sensational Burger its distinctive pink appearance, which turns brown during cooking – just like a beef burger. The coconut oil melts during preparation and makes the patty sizzle beautifully. The ingredient also contributes to the marbled look and the meat-like mouthfeel.

Nestlé invests 1.7 billion Swiss francs in research and development

In the network of Nestlé research centres, a large team of food experts and chefs works on new ideas for plant-based nutrition. The food manufacturer invests 1.7 billion Swiss francs globally in research and development. Around ten percent of employees in this area work on projects related to plant-based nutrition.

«In our research and development centres, science and culinary arts go hand in hand. We work extensively with classic preparation methods that everyone knows from their own kitchen«, says Oliver Nussli, the manager responsible for research and development in the area of meat alternatives at Nestlé. «We have developed our own extrusion process. Thanks to this new process, our Sensational Burger has become even meatier. We were also able to use the technological foundation to develop a completely vegan tuna.»

The plant-based tuna alternative has just been launched in Switzerland and will arrive in Germany in 2021 under the name Garden Gourmet Sensational Thun-Visch.