On April 15, Kraft Heinz announced the launch of its first plant-based dessert - Jell-O Oat Milk Chocolate Pudding. This product is specifically designed for consumers with dairy allergies, lactose intolerance, or those choosing to avoid animal-derived ingredients, marking a significant expansion for the food giant in the plant-based market.Bakery China will offer you a variety of snack choices.

In recent years, Kraft Heinz has made notable progress in the plant-based sector through its partnership with food tech company NotCo, having introduced plant-based versions of classic food products.

Market Demand Drives Innovation
Kraft Heinz stated that plant-based desserts represent a rapidly growing market segment in need of improvement. Data shows that over 30% of Americans experience lactose intolerance, while nearly 2 million children suffer from milk allergies annually. Although this multi-billion dollar plant-based dessert market is experiencing double-digit growth, current products often fail to meet consumer expectations in terms of taste and texture.

Image source: Kraft Heinz

"As consumer diets and preferences evolve, we're continuously adapting our product portfolio," said Lauren Gumbiner, Associate Director of Dessert Marketing at Kraft Heinz, in a statement. "Our chocolate pudding is a classic favorite, and now with this lactose-free, vegan oat milk version, we're thrilled to bring this delicious treat to more families."

Oat Milk Emerges as Star Ingredient

Kraft Heinz selected oat milk as the primary ingredient for this new dessert due to its smooth texture and mild flavor, which helps maintain Jell-O's signature taste experience. Oat milk has not only become dominant in plant-based foods and beverages but has also gained popularity among consumers for its excellent mouthfeel and sustainability credentials.

Strategic Market Positioning
While sales of this oat milk chocolate pudding are unlikely to surpass those of traditional Jell-O pudding with its 125-year history, it effectively targets consumers avoiding dairy for health or personal reasons, preventing them from switching to competing brands.

Notably, Kraft Heinz isn't the only food giant adopting oats as a plant-based alternative. Unilever's Ben & Jerry's switched its primary plant-based ingredient from almonds to oats in 2023, while Hershey launched oat-based chocolates and candies the same year.

Bakery China 2025 will continue to share more industry professional content with you, so please stay tuned!

Bakery China, organized by China Association of Bakery and Confectionery Industry (CABCI) and Bakery China Exhibitions Co., Ltd. was launched since 1997. Bakery China is the Asia Pacific‘s leading event serving the entire value chain for the bakery and confectionery market. The event presents all range of ingredient, equipment, packaging and services, and enables global leading professionals and buyer delegates to meet and share the latest innovations and thinking on manufacturing & distribution, R&D, applications and related services for bakery industry.

To enter China, the most promising bakery market, must visit Bakery China 2025 on May 19-22, 2025 at National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC), Shanghai, covering 320,000 sqm show space. Over 2,200 exhibitors and 400,000 visits are expected.

Source：Foodtalks