Nestlé innovates plant-based alternative for hybrid minced meat recipes

05 Jul 2024 --- Nestlé unveils a customizable plant-based meat alternative — Maggi Rindecarne — that consumers can add to minced meat to prepare dishes that retain nutritional value without compromising on taste. The innovation is a “meat extender” with a mix of soy and spices that allows consumers to prepare a dish combining meat and plant-based proteins, “doubling” the number of servings at an affordable price, says Nestlé.

A meat extender is a non-meat substance with a high protein content that can be introduced into processed meat products to replace part of the meat. 

Nestlé meat extender is a “versatile and customizable” product that can be used to prepare all minced meat top dishes.

 “Our team of experts and chefs developed a tailored solution which brings an equivalent amount of protein in an affordable way to consumers in Latin America. Our innovation ensures the familiar taste and texture of mincemeat, is shelf-stable and easy-to-use,” says Swen Rabe, head of Nestlé’s Product and Technology Center for Food.

Maggi’s first meat extender is currently available in Chile.

Hybrid innovations
Nestlé’s latest innovation builds on its approach to developing solutions that combine animal and plant-based ingredients, maximizing nutrition, affordability and sustainability.

The FMCG giant previously tapped into the alternative meat category by formulating a shelf-stable, plant-based protein blend in 2022 to complement egg dishes in a nutritious and affordable way in Latin America. 

For Central and West Africa, Nestlé developed a beverage solution that combines milk and locally sourced soy to offer affordable nutrition.

Meanwhile, Nestlé’s recent meat-alternative product range expansion efforts include Maggi Soya Chunks to cater to consumers’ evolving dietary preferences.

The company also recently expanded consumer reach with an edible plant-based fork made from wheat flour and salt for Maggi cup noodles in India and air-fryer friendly meal solutions in the US.