Vegan ice cream lovers will soon have a new flavor of Ben & Jerry's to try. The iconic brand is debuting a new Non-Dairy Strawberry Cheezecake flavor, a new take on its classic Strawberry Cheesecake now made with an oat milk base.
"We tested 70 different formulas to deliver the best non-dairy recipe," said Colleen Rossell, Ben & Jerry's flavor guru, per VegNews. "Oat milk's popularity and our commitment to innovation drive us to expand our offerings, catering to a wide range of dietary preferences and those seeking new flavors."
Ben & Jerry's has transitioned 19 other classic flavors into non-dairy options in recent years, including Cherry Garcia, Phish Food, and Peanut Butter Half Baked. However, the Strawberry Cheesecake remained a challenge due to the original flavor's double dairy dose of a cream base and cheesecake chunks.
"Achieving the distinct cheesecake flavor was a challenge with our previous almond milk or sunflower butter bases," Rossell said, adding, "The oat base's creamy texture lets the cheesecake flavor shine, capturing the essential tanginess and creamy texture."
As dairy farming is one of the major producers of methane gas — one of the gases most responsible for the overheating of our planet — giving consumers dairy-free alternatives is a win for the planet, as well as for people who abstain from animal products for health-related or ethical reasons.
According to a recent study from Stanford scientists, a vegan or plant-based diet is definitely healthier, resulting in lower insulin levels, reduced body weight, and lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.
Ben & Jerry's, which is known as a particularly conscientious brand, has made other attempts to reduce its methane production in the past, including piloting a program called Project Mootopia that mixed seaweed into its cows' diets, which researchers found could reduce the amount of methane the cows burped out by 80%.
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