Nestle launches vegan KitKats but they're going to cost more

Vegans with a hankering for chocolate-covered wafers can at last get their hands on a KitKat.

Nestle SA, the Swiss food giant, is launching KitKat V, a plant-based version of one of the world’s most popular chocolate bars, from Friday with a rollout planned across 15 European countries including the UK. 

Unlike the classic KitKat, the vegan version uses a rice-based formula as a milk substitute, as first revealed by Bloomberg News. It’s one of the biggest launches of a vegan alternative of a major confectionery brand and took two years to develop.

“We have four in 10 consumers saying they are interested to move to a more plant-based diet,” said Corinne Gabler, Nestle’s head of confectionery for Europe in an interview. “It could be a significant market in the confectionery area.”