Laughing Cow Plant-Based Cheese Is Coming To Canada

Laughing Cow’s plant-based cheese triangles will soon be launching in Canada.

The release follows successful roll-outs in the UK and US. The products join Bel Group Canada’s Boursin Dairy-Free and Babybel Plant-Based, which are already available.

The plant-based Laughing Cow cheeses look the same as its original soft cheese triangles, but they swap the dairy for almonds. Plant-based Laughing Cow also contains coconut oil, sunflower oil, pea protein, and seasonings, and is fortified with calcium and vitamin B12. Canadian consumers will only be able to purchase Garlic and Herb flavor initially, with “Original” to come later.

“This plant-based version of The Laughing Cow is bringing the brand’s experience and know-how in creamy, delicious spreadable cheese to the plant-based category,” said Marie-Eve Robert, Vice President of Marketing and CSR at Bel Group Canada, in a statement.

Bel Group first announced its intention to make plant-based Laughing Cow back in 2022 but spent an additional year working on the recipe before its initial UK launch in late 2023. Robert noted that a “better taste and textural” experience is needed in the sector.

Dairy-free vegan cheese triangles from Laughing Cow, which have just launched in Canada — Bel Group Canada The dairy-free cheese triangles will be arriving in Canadian stores soon

A consumer taste test conducted on behalf of Bel found that 94 percent of the flexitarian Canadians surveyed agreed that Laughing Cow’s plant-based cheese tasted “great.”

“For our plant-based offerings, we always collaborate closely with consumers to make sure we are getting the taste, texture, and quality just right,” added Robert. “In fact, our consumers essentially serve as final decision makers in our innovations.”

Canadians demand plant-based dairy

The dairy sector creates approximately four percent of all global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and is implicated in significant additional environmental, health, and ethical concerns about cattle farming.

Bel Group Canada says that its plant-based cheese alternative products have been in “constant progression,” with 51 percent growth in 2023 alone. Bel also owns the completely plant-based brand Nurishh, which it launched in 2021 with a growing range of vegan cheese.

The launch of Laughing Cow Plant-Based in Canada follows a recent announcement by Lactalis, the world’s largest dairy company, which unveiled a line of vegan, unsweetened dairy-free drinks called “Enjoy!” in Canada just last week.

Canada’s dairy-free market as a whole (including milk, cheese, butter, ice cream, and yogurt) has an estimated value of USD $1 billion, with the potential to grow to $1.77 billion by the end of the decade. Furthermore, 30 percent of Canadians have consumed plant-based dairy alternatives in the last year, compared to just 20 percent of Americans.