Dutch supermarket Albert Heijn has introduced 15 products combining meat and dairy with plant-based ingredients in the largest such rollout of blended proteins yet.
The Netherlands really is going big on blends.
After Lidl and Aldi, Albert Heijn has become the latest supermarket to join the hybrid protein crusade. And it hasn’t just launched a singular burger or mince, the retailer has gone all out with 15 new products combining animals with plants, spanning both meat and milk.
The new range includes semi-skimmed milk, sausages, salami and deli meats, which are blended with ingredients like faba and butter beans, celeriac, and sugar beet fibre. They’re available in stores now, and crucially, are priced the same as their conventional counterparts.
“These products are more than just delicious. They are the future of food – where taste, health, and sustainability go hand in hand,” said Danilla Vegam, global senior VP of health and sustainability at Ahold Delhaize, the retailer’s parent company.
Can blended meat overturn poor plant protein sales?
By blending meat with plant-based ingredients, Albert Heijn is targeting both health and sustainability wins. Research shows that swapping just half of our meat consumption with plant-based proteins can lower agricultural emissions by 31% and land use by 12%, and halt deforestation.
Blended meat can be a useful solution, especially as concerns about poor taste and ultra-processing slow the uptake of plant-based meat products. While Ahold Delhaize announced a plant protein strategy at the start of the year, it has since admitted that sales of these products at Albert Heijn have been disappointing.
The supermarket aimed to raise the share of plant proteins sold to 47% in 2024, 50% in 2025, and 60% by the end of the decade. However, the ratio failed to increase in favour of plants last year, instead falling slightly from 44.5% in 2023 to 44.2%.
Sensory testing shows that these products are more likely to appeal to meat-eaters and flexitarians than plant-based alternatives. In some cases, they even outperform 100% meat products. That’s likely what convinced Albert Heijn to go all out on blended meat. It is marketing the products as low-fat, and they cost the same or less than conventional meat.
The range includes seven beef products, including hamburgers, minced meat, sausages, and soup balls. They contain 66-76% beef, which is mixed primarily with 21-23% sugar beet fibre, alongside flavourings, preservatives, and starches.
For consumers, the big benefit lies in a lower saturated fat content. The blended burger and soup balls, for instance, contain 44% less saturated fat than their fully animal-derived counterparts. And while they contain slightly less protein, they offer fibre – a macronutrient currently in demand from consumers optimizing for better gut health.
Meanwhile, Albert Heijn has introduced a line of deli sausages blended with plants too. The salami and cervelaat slices are mixed with butter beans and offer a 30% reduction in total fat, while the grilled, cooked, sandwich and roasted minced meat sausages are combined with kohlrabi (helping halve the fat content).
Hybrid milk range targets saturated fat and emissions
The hybrid milks were developed by Dutch firm Farm Dairy and Denmark’s PlanetDairy, who recently introduced a three-strong lineup of cow’s milk blended with plant protein to lower saturated fat content and deliver a 20-30% reduction in emissions.
“The first challenge to overcome was taste and appearance. The new milk blend had to look and taste like traditional dairy milk that people are used to,” explained PlanetDairy CTO Paul Cornillon. “Then, of course, it needs to be affordable. So ingredients must be selected carefully. And in between, the team also had to ensure a strong nutrition profile.”
Each round of product development was met with consumer feedback before being presented to Albert Heijn. In the final range, they settled on 60% cow’s milk for the semi-skimmed version, combining it with sunflower oil, faba bean protein, sugar and salt, and fortifying it with vitamins and calcium. The whole milk, meanwhile, contains 70% conventional dairy.
There are several benefits here. By substituting some of the cow’s milk with plant-based ingredients, Albert Heijn is able to minimise the climate footprint of its dairy offerings. And while the blended milks have slightly lower protein (by 12-14%), they drastically reduce the amount of saturated fat by around 70%.
According to the company, they retain the taste of 100% cow’s milk while adding plants to people’s diets – a key ESG and planetary health goal. “The idea of combination products is new and may take some getting used to. But taste tests show that these products are just as tasty as the regular versions,” said Nienke Tjerkstra, VP of health and sustainability at Albert Heijn.
A recent global survey, meanwhile, suggested that among the 38% of people who don’t buy non-dairy products, 58% showcase the potential to switch if certain needs are met. The biggest problem was unsatisfactory taste or texture, which left 57% of consumers resistant to these products, followed by limited availability (55%) and high prices (37%).
Previous attempts at hybrid dairy have been middling, and existing ranges – like Kerry Group’s Smug Dairy line of cheeses and butter – are much more expensive than conventional dairy (and even some plant-based versions). So pricing the new blended milks at parity is a shrewd move by Albert Heijn.
“This is just the first step. We are already working on our next project together: yoghurt blends,” said PlanetDairy CEO Jakob Skovgaard. This keys into what consumers want: a recent poll found that people are most receptive to hybrid yoghurts and ice creams, though they’re least interested in beverages and milk alternatives.
Albert Heijn’s Tjerkstra remains bullish on the idea. “We’re making it easier to eat plant-based more often, without customers having to compromise on taste or habits. Small changes can make a big difference – for yourself and for the planet,” she said.
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