In a world where one-third of all people are affected by some form of malnutrition, and where the pandemic and climate change are exacerbating poverty, Nestlé is focused on developing affordable foods and beverages that incorporate nutritious plant proteins to help people achieve adequate and balanced diets.

With this in mind, Nestlé has developed a powdered shelf-stable plant-based protein blend to complement egg dishes in a nutritious, and affordable way in Latin America.

When cooking their favorite egg dishes, people can replace some eggs with the nutritious soy-based alternative, resulting in an equal amount of protein, and a reduction in saturated fats and cholesterol, at a lower cost when compared to using more eggs instead. The product is also fortified with iron to address one of the main micronutrient deficiencies. It is versatile for a wide range of dishes such as scrambled eggs, omelets, or baking.

"Egg is one of the most widely used protein sources. With this unique solution, we wanted to provide an affordable, nutritious solution that could be used to replace some of the eggs when cooking egg-based dishes. The plant-based dry mix also brings an equivalent amount of quality protein, and less cholesterol, while ensuring a good taste and texture," says Torsten Pohl, head, Nestlé's Product and Technology Center for Food.

The product is currently being tested in Central America under the Malher brand in a limited number of stores before being further rolled out across more markets in Latin America.

"We are excited to test this new concept in Central America, where egg dishes are a major source of protein for many. By replacing some eggs with this shelf-stable plant-based protein, we will not only provide an affordable alternative but a sustainable one too that many people can use when cooking breakfast, lunch or dinner," says Lourdes Muñoz, regional manager - Central America, Nestlé.

This new patented format for shelf-stable egg alternatives was developed by Nestlé R&D experts who leveraged the company's know-how in the development of plant-based food alternatives such as the recently launched vegan alternative to eggs under the Garden Gourmet brand. R&D teams are also exploring novel solutions for affordable, shelf stable, protein blends that can be used as meat alternatives in certain geographies with a limited cold storage supply chain.