Luxury ice cream giant Magnum will launch two new vegan ice creams in Finland and Sweden this September
The two new flavours will be Magnum Vegan Classic and Magnum Vegan Almond: vegan versions of two of its popular dairy-based choices.
The vegan ice cream inside will be made from a peanut protein base, coated in vegan dark chocolate. Both will be Rainforest Alliance certified, although it has not been confirmed whether the ice creams will contain palm oil.
They’ll be available to buy as single ice creams or in packs of four.
The launch comes in the wake of several other major ice cream brands introducing vegan options to their ranges. Ben and Jerry’s launched three new flavours in 2017, including Chocolate Fudge Brownie and Chunky Monkey, and Häagen-Dazs’ vegan offerings dropped this year with four new flavours on offer (in the US only for now). Swedish Glace already has a mini Magnum-style treat available in boxes of four from Sainsbury’s, and Tesco’s own-brand Free From range includes a similar ice cream.
According to the food industry news portal Just Food, Unliever’s local marketing manager in Finland cites consumer pressure as the driving force behind the new range, stating: “We have often been asked for Magnum without lactose.”
Despite previously having caused outrage in the vegan community (in 2014 Unilever sued a vegan mayonnaise producer in 2014 for using the word ‘mayo’), Unilever appears to be investing heavily in vegan options across a number of its brands, and last year helped fund a study into vegan meat – presumably with a view to producing its own vegan meat alternatives.
This summer has seen many more options for vegans in the freezer section, from ice cream treats to frozen ready meals and meat alternatives. With the Beyond Burger hopefully soon to hit shelves in Tesco, the wide range of supermarket options available for vegans looks set to continue to grow.
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