Nestlé axes vegan KitKat amid low demand but reiterates commitment to sustainable cocoa

Nearly four years after it launched, Nestlé is discontinuing its vegan KitKat or KitKat V due to declining demand. The F&B giant has confirmed that it will pull the plug on the dairy-free chocolate biscuit bar from all markets except the UK and Ireland, where it will eventually be phased out.

“We know that KitKat vegan was popular among those looking for dairy or vegan alternatives. Unfortunately, the sales were reducing to the point where production was adding significant complexity to our manufacturing operations, which could not be sustained. We have therefore made the difficult decision to discontinue KitKat Vegan,” a Nestlé spokesperson tells Food Ingredients First.

Nestlé notes that vegan chocolate is “still a niche market,” as conventional chocolate products “continue to dominate the confectionery category and contribute the vast majority of sales.” 

In line with consumer choices, the company aims to focus on classic chocolate variants in the KitKat range in the foreseeable future.

Kitkat’s role in Net Zero

The KitKat V discontinuation follows a string of similar suspensions in Nestlé’s plant-based portfolio. In 2024, the Swiss multinational discontinued its Carnation Vegan Condensed Milk Alternative and Nescafé Plant-Based Coffee Pods to focus on better-performing products.

On whether these strategic changes in the plant-based segment impact Nestlé’s “Net Zero by 2050” objective, the spokesperson says: “KitKat is definitely part of the efforts that we are delivering in the confectionery category to support the Nestlé Net Zero commitment. KitKat is our leading global confectionery brand and will carry the efforts we are delivering at each stage of our supply chain.”

The company’s Net Zero roadmap includes decreasing emissions throughout supply chains and partnering with suppliers, farmers, and communities to increase the uptake of regenerative agricultural practices.

“In confectionery, our focus is on cocoa. The efforts we are putting around certification and the expansion of the Nestlé Cocoa Plan are reducing the cocoa carbon footprint. In 2023, we sourced 85.5% of our cocoa through the Nestlé Cocoa Plan. These efforts, combined with the transition to regenerative agricultural practices, will continue reducing our footprint,” the spokesperson tells us.

“In 2023, we distributed more than 1.2 million native and fruit trees in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana to build resilience at farm level but also to contribute to our efforts to reduce our emissions,” they reveal.

Nestlé is eyeing 20% reductions in its emissions by the end of this year and 50% by 2030 to reach zero emissions “by 2050 at the latest,” according to the company website.

“In 2023, the group reported a 13.58% net reduction of GHG emissions vs. 2018. [Some] 67% of the global Nestlé footprint comes from ingredients and finished goods. Ingredients are key to delivering our ambition and represented 50% of the net reductions in 2023,” the spokesperson concludes.