Product innovation: BILLA customers gave 2.3 million apricot kernels a second chance

The team around founder Luca Fichtinger has set itself the task of processing apricot kernels, which would otherwise be disposed of in the production of jams and juices, into a vegetable milk. This is made possible by a patented, multi-award-winning process in a facility on the edge of the Wachau region, where fruit pits are split and the seeds inside are used to produce sustainable food. Compared to oats and soy, saved apricot kernels save about 30 per cent CO2 emissions and, compared to almonds, about 96 per cent water during production - for one kilogram of raw material, this amounts to a saving of 26 full bathtubs.

The Pit-Drink has been available since autumn in over 520 BILLA and BILLA PLUS stores as well as in the BILLA PFLANZILLA and in the BILLA online shop. With the help of customers, more than 2.3 million apricot kernels have already been saved from disposal. Verena Wiederkehr, BILLA Head of Plant-Based Business Development, says: "Sustainability and the responsible use of resources are key issues at BILLA, which is why I was immediately enthusiastic about Wunderkern's product innovation. But what is more important is that the taste also convinced me. We are proud to be able to offer our customers such groundbreaking developments and are pleased that the drink made from apricot kernels has already been so well received by them and at the same time makes a meaningful contribution to the environment."

Now new in the BILLA PFLANZILLA and in the BILLA online shop is the Wunderkern chocolate cream made from fruit pits- a creamy spread and dip with cocoa and real bourbon vanilla.

Current BILLA survey shows: Consumption of plant-based drinks increasingly popular

According to a recent survey by marketagent* on behalf of BILLA, plant-based products are already frequently on domestic shopping lists. When asked about those items that are already regularly purchased, plant-based drinks/alternative dairy products (25%), plant-based salty snacks (21%) and plant-based confectionery (19%) top the list. Plant-based bakery products are purchased by about 15 % of respondents - similarly for plant-based meat and sausage products (12 %). Nearly a third agree with the statement that they are willing to reach for the purely plant-based counterpart of an animal-based product if it is convincing in terms of taste - with age differences (40 % for under 30 vs. 26 % for over 60).

Plant-based month conceivable for two out of ten, breakfast already almost 50 % plant-based

20 percent of respondents could basically imagine eating a purely plant-based diet for a month - in line with the current "Veganuary". When asked about originally animal products that would be good to buy in a plant-based option, sweets (37%), salty snacks (35%), baked goods (33%) and plant-based drinks/alternative dairy products (33%) are clearly among them. In the latter category, a look at the provinces shows: respondents from Upper Austria and Salzburg (40 %), Styria and Carinthia (40 %) and Lower Austria and Burgenland (35 %) are more convinced of plant-based drinks/ alternative dairy products than those from Tyrol and Vorarlberg (27 %) and Vienna (20 %).

Some meals in this country are already often - intentionally or unintentionally - plant-based. Almost half of the 500 or so respondents said that breakfast was plant-based (49 %), followed by snacks (35 %) and dinner (30 %). Lunch is less plant-based in this respect (24 %), and for 1/6 of the respondents this is not yet a meal (17 %). Again it is clear that plant-based foods are more frequently on the menu among the young. For example, the popular snack for in-between meals is plant-based in 46 percent of the cases among those under 30, and only in 20 percent of the cases among those over 60. The survey also showed a similar result with regard to other daily meals (e.g. "dinner" under 30 years (36 %) vs. over 60 years (23 %)).

*About the survey

The market and opinion research institute marketmind was commissioned by BILLA to survey a total of 501 people between the ages of 14 and 75 on various topics, including their eating habits, between 30 December 2022 and 4 January 2023.