Nestle will launch the KitKat V, a vegan chocolate bar, this year. Courtesy Nestle
Nestle will launch the KitKat V, a vegan chocolate bar, this year. Courtesy Nestle
Nestle will launch the KitKat V, a vegan chocolate bar, this year. Courtesy Nestle
Nestle will launch the KitKat V, a vegan chocolate bar, this year. Courtesy Nestle

Nestle to launch a vegan KitKat bar this year


Katy Gillett
  • English
  • Arabic

Plant-based chocolate fans will now be able to take a break with a vegan KitKat, as parent company Nestle has announced it will launch the KitKat V later this year.

Not only will it be certified vegan, but the new bar will also be made from 100 per cent sustainable cocoa.

It will launch in several countries and will initially be available through the KitKat Chocolatory and selected retailers for a testing phase, before a wider global roll-out.

There was no immediate response to a request from The National for information on where it will be available.

It was, however, developed in the UK, by chocolate experts in Nestle's confectionery research and development centre in York, the original home of KitKat.

While the announcement did not state what the new KitKat will be made of, Bloomberg has reported that it will use a rice-based formula to imitate the milk chocolate found in the original bar.

Whatever the ingredients are, the company has promised that it will deliver "the perfect balance between crispy wafer and smooth chocolate that people know and love".

Alexander von Maillot, head of confectionery at Nestle, said: "One of the most common requests we see on social media is for a vegan KitKat, so we're delighted to be able to make that wish come true. I can't wait for people to be able to try this amazingly tasty new KitKat."

This is not the first time Nestle has released a plant-based dairy alternative. The company has already launched products made from rice, oat, soya, coconut, pea and almonds, including ice cream, coffee creamers, cappuccinos, lattes, a range of cheese, burgers and even condensed milk.

"There is a quiet food revolution under way that is changing how people eat," von Maillot added. "We want to be at the forefront of that, championing the discovery of plant-based food and beverages. What better way to do that than offering a vegan version of one of our most famous and much-loved brands?"

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Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Mackenzie Davis 

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Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

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The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

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Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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THE BIO

Bio Box

Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul

Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader

Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Favorite food: seafood

Favorite place to travel: Lebanon

Favorite movie: Braveheart

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Winners

Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)

Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)

Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)

Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)

Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)

Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)

Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)

Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)

Who are the Sacklers?

The Sackler family is a transatlantic dynasty that owns Purdue Pharma, which manufactures and markets OxyContin, one of the drugs at the centre of America's opioids crisis. The family is well known for their generous philanthropy towards the world's top cultural institutions, including Guggenheim Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate in Britain, Yale University and the Serpentine Gallery, to name a few. Two branches of the family control Purdue Pharma.

Isaac Sackler and Sophie Greenberg were Jewish immigrants who arrived in New York before the First World War. They had three sons. The first, Arthur, died before OxyContin was invented. The second, Mortimer, who died aged 93 in 2010, was a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. The third, Raymond, died aged 97 in 2017 and was also a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. 

It was Arthur, a psychiatrist and pharmaceutical marketeer, who started the family business dynasty. He and his brothers bought a small company called Purdue Frederick; among their first products were laxatives and prescription earwax remover.

Arthur's branch of the family has not been involved in Purdue for many years and his daughter, Elizabeth, has spoken out against it, saying the company's role in America's drugs crisis is "morally abhorrent".

The lawsuits that were brought by the attorneys general of New York and Massachussetts named eight Sacklers. This includes Kathe, Mortimer, Richard, Jonathan and Ilene Sackler Lefcourt, who are all the children of either Mortimer or Raymond. Then there's Theresa Sackler, who is Mortimer senior's widow; Beverly, Raymond's widow; and David Sackler, Raymond's grandson.

Members of the Sackler family are rarely seen in public.

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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

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Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

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Company Profile

Founders: Tamara Hachem and Yazid Erman
Based: Dubai
Launched: September 2019
Sector: health technology
Stage: seed
Investors: Oman Technology Fund, angel investor and grants from Sharjah's Sheraa and Ma'an Abu Dhabi