Nestlé Launches YES! Snack Bars in Recyclable Paper Wrapper

Media preview samples of Nestle Yes! bars with a newly designed packaging are seen in Zurich, Switzerland, on July 2, 2019. (REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann)

Global food giant Nestle SA has developed new paper packaging for its YES! snack bars, a technology it hopes to scale up and extend to other confectionery products as it tries to make all its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025.

Environmental concerns are increasingly influencing consumers' buying decisions, forcing makers of packaged goods to rethink the way they wrap their products.
Nestle has been criticized by environmental group Greenpeace for not eliminating single-use plastics quickly enough. The Swiss company has so far focused on recyclable or reusable packaging and has set up an institute to develop new solutions in this field.

This launch has unlocked the potential for recyclable paper packaging to be widely used in the confectionery industry. Up until now, the high-speed production of shelf-stable snacks was only achieved using plastic films and laminates. Now paper can be used at large scale while guaranteeing product quality and freshness over the entire shelf life.

This paper wrapper is a further step in Nestlé’s commitment to making all its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025. The wrapper is widely recycled in the countries where it will be available. The paper is from sustainable sources, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and The Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification.

Patrice Bula, Head of Strategic Business Units, Marketing and Sales at Nestlé, said: “Consumers are looking for more natural and sustainable options when they choose a snack, both in terms of ingredients and packaging. Our YES! bars are made with wholesome ingredients that celebrate and care for Nature’s diversity. We are now relaunching them carefully wrapped in paper, making the packaging easy to recycle and avoiding plastic waste.”

YES! snack bars are ‘tasty by nature’ with wholesome ingredients such as fruit, vegetables and nuts. Among others, flavours include Dark Chocolate, Sea Salt & Almond; Dark Chocolate, Banana & Pecan; and Raspberry & Chia Seeds.
Each YES! nut bar is vegetarian, high in fibre, and a source of protein. The fruit and vegetable bars are vegan, gluten-free, lactose-free, high in fibre, have no added sugar and contribute to one of your five a day.

With the new paper wrapper and a wider range of flavours, YES! is now being launched in more countries. It will now be available in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxemburg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, and the United Kingdom. More countries in Europe and beyond will follow soon.

July 05, 2019