YORK'S new Vegan KitKats have arrived in Sainsbury stores across the country.

KitKat V, which uses a rice-based alternative to milk and is certified as vegan by the Vegan Society, was developed by chocolatiers and food scientists in Nestlé’s Research and Development centre in Haxby Road and is being made in the factory next door.

Centre head Louise Barrett said its challenge in setting out to create a vegan-friendly KitKat was to recreate this iconic product using plant-based alternatives.

"To achieve this, we worked very hard to get the right balance between the milk alternative and the cocoa," she said.

"The result is a vegan chocolate that we’re very proud of, and that we hope will be enjoyed by KitKat fans everywhere.”

Brand manager Sascha Macchi, said KitKat had been championing breaks since 1934 and while people’s need for breaks hadn’t changed, the way we take them had.

"KitKat is such a successful brand because it has evolved throughout its history, and the arrival of our vegan-friendly bar means there is now a delicious alternative for anyone looking to enjoy a plant-based break," she said.

KitKat V's arrival comes after the number of vegans in Great Britain quadrupled between 2014 and 2019, from 150,000 to 600,000.