Kallo veggie cakes

Source: Wessanen

They contain 2.4g plant protein and 40 calories per cake

Kallø has created an alternative to rice cakes made with pea protein.

The Wessanen-owned brand has launched a duo of Veggie Cakes made with green peas and lentil flour, each with 2.4g plant protein and containing 40 calories per cake.

They come in Beetroot and Spinach & Pesto flavours, and will hit Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Ocado this month (rsp: £2.49/122g).

It was “the first time Kallø has taken rice out of a rice cake to create a new and innovative snack option”, said Wessanen UK marketing and category director Bryan Martins.

He added the cakes offered “bags of flavour” and were highly nutritious - “more so than many other comparative snacking brands”.

Kallø tested the Veggie Cakes on consumers and reported that 45% would “consider consuming them with no topping” - three times more than for rice cakes.

Pea protein has been given a popularity boost of late, with the market expected to reach $176m (£144m) globally by 2025, according to Allied Market Research.

It has already been adopted across the meat-alternatives category by the likes of Birds Eye and The Meatless Farm Co - which switched the recipes of its sausages and burgers from soy to pea protein this month - as well as by sports nutrition brands such as Pulsin and Form Nutrition.

Kallø said it hoped its move would introduce new, younger consumers to the category and appeal to those looking to “diversify their snack choices”.