This Classic Babybel Product Is Going Vegan

Going vegan is trending, and the hardest part of switching to a plant-based diet is finding enough time in the day to tell everybody that you no longer eat animal products. All joking aside, vegan diets are appealing to a rapidly increasing percentage of people for a multitude of reasons, and food producers are paying attention. In a new press release, well-known cheesemaker Bel Brands USA just announced its plans to tap into the vegan market with a new line of dairy-free cheeses.

A study conducted by Ipsos Retail Performance from 2004 to 2019 (via Plant Based News) shows that the number of Americans following a plant-based diet jumped from 290,000 to 9.7 million people over the 15-year period. Meatless products that were once hard to find are now plentiful, but one thing that vegan food producers have struggled with is making a vegan cheese product that satisfies the texture and flavor cravings of former dairy lovers (per Wired).

Bel Brands USA, the maker of The Laughing Cow, Babybel, Boursin, and other popular cheese products, hopes to fill that void with its new line of vegan cheeses that meet the quality and flavor standards consumers have come to expect. The 150-year-old company has developed plant-based products that utilize French cheese-making techniques to create dairy-free cheeses that deliver creamy, flavorful vegan options to a growing consumer base.

Bel Brands USA is joining the ranks of food producers providing plant-based options with a lineup of dairy-free cheeses that fromage fans will find familiar. They believe they might raise the quality standards for vegan cheese by tapping into their vast experience as cheesemakers and producing products that have the mouthfeel and flavor that vegan customers want.

Babybel Plant-Based, a non-GMO project verified and certified plant-based cheese, was developed to have the flavor and texture of mozzarella cheese wrapped up in Bel's signature wax coating. The plant-based Babybel will sport a green wax coating so that consumers can easily identify it. The cheesemaker will also have a Boursin Dairy-Free offering that is said to be just as spreadable and creamy as the dairy-based original. Bel Brands has also created a wholly plant-based product line called Nurishh with vegan-style cream cheese, Parmesan shreds, slices, and cubed cheese options.

Boursin Dairy-Free has been in the market since October of 2020, and the company has received positive feedback on the plant-based "entertaining cheese" so far. Babybel Plant-Based and the Nurishh lineup will be available in spring 2022, and The Laughing Cow Plant-Based will hit shelves in 2023.