Vegan Magnum bars are being launched in the US this week.
The bars which come in two flavors – Classic and Almond – are also available in the UK, Australia, and Sweden.
They feature a vanilla base made from coconut oil and pea protein and a non-dairy chocolate coating.
Next level vegan
“This week we’re thrilled to bring our next-level chocolate to the vegan and dairy-free market,” Leslie Miller, Marketing Director of Ice Cream at Unilever, said in a statement.
“This is our first launch in plant-based indulgence and we can’t wait to share with Magnum ice cream fans.”
Magnum Non-Dairy bars are now available in grocery stores and mass retailers nationwide for a suggested retail price of $4.99-5.49.
‘A problem for the dairy industry’
Earlier this week an Australian dairy farming group branded vegan Magnums a problem for its industry, saying it had been ‘incorrectly marketed’ as a dairy product. Only products with cream or milk can be called ice-cream under Australian food regulations,
A spokesperson for Australian Dairy Farmers told The Guardian that the Magnum and other vegan ice-cream products are an issue for his industry.
“This is becoming an increasing problem for the dairy industry, with plant-based alternatives incorrectly being marketed as milk or other products associated with dairy,” he said.
“[Magnum] made a commercial decision to introduce a vegan addition to their Magnum product line to satisfy a very vocal community … it is misleading to call this product an ice-cream.”
But according to a Unilever spokesperson, the Magnum has never been marketed as ice-cream in Australia – but as an ‘iced confection’.