Snacking on thin air: Fazer’s futuristic treats powered by protein from the sky

Fazer is known for pushing the boundaries of flavour and sustainability, but its latest innovation might just defy gravity - literally.

At the recent Future Food-Tech summit in San Francisco, the Finnish food innovator unveiled its Taste the Future range: a chocolate snack bar and two vegan drinks infused with a unique protein created by Finnish biotech firm Solar Foods using air, water and electricity.

This marks the first time US consumers have been able to sample products made with Solein, following a similar launch in Singapore earlier this year. The snacks - rich in protein and praised for their taste - are part of a limited pilot to collect real-time consumer feedback in anticipation of broader commercialisation once regulatory approvals in other markets are secured.

Fazer’s VP of New Product Development, Heli Anttila, explained how the partnership with Solar Foods took root.

“Fazer Group and Solar Foods entered into a strategic partnership in 2019 with the objective to jointly research and develop Solar Foods’ novel protein ingredient Solein,” said Anttila. “Sustainability in food and nutrition is high on Fazer’s research agenda and we want to be an innovative trendsetter. Our strong heritage offers us the roots necessary to take on bold innovations.”

Pilot today, planet tomorrow

That boldness has taken the form of three pilot products:

• A 40g dark chocolate-coated bar with hazelnuts and 7% Solein
• A chocolate vegan oat-based drink with 2% Solein
• A banoffee-flavoured vegan drink with 18g protein, including 2% Solein and a source of fibre

“We were in the forefront of the development of the food industry when we launched our snack bar in Singapore in January 2024. That was the first ever packed consumer product where Solein was used,” said Anttila. “Next pilot testing was done in the US in San Francisco in March. Pilot testing is important to develop innovative products further.”

And while alternative proteins often struggle with texture and taste, Fazer’s samples left Future Food-Tech attendees impressed.

“The products we introduced were received very positively,” said Anttila. “The products were praised for their delicious taste, despite containing a significant amount of protein. All feedback will help us develop the products further and prepare for potential wider launches in Europe once needed regulatory approvals have been received.”

While many plant-based or alternative proteins are hindered by texture or aftertaste, Solein’s versatility and mild flavour are helping it overcome those common barriers. It also brings a splash of natural colour to the mix.

“Solein is a sustainable and nutritious fortifier. It is pleasant in taste, mild and easy to use in several applications,” Anttila said. “It also has a distinctive yellow colour that adds richness without overpowering the food.”

The science behind Solein

But the real magic lies in Solein’s production process. It begins with a single-cell microbe that’s fed a diet of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen and trace minerals in a bioreactor. Instead of sunlight or farmland, Solein is cultivated with electricity - creating a neutral-tasting, protein-rich powder that contains essential nutrients like iron and vitamin B12. Crucially, it requires only a fraction of the water and land used in traditional food production.

This aligns with some of the strongest drivers in today’s snack space: sustainability, protein enrichment and plant-based innovation.

“The products introduced by Fazer are a great example of how Solein excels in products in the health and performance nutrition segment. Solein provides superior nutrition with great taste, ticks off all major ‘free from’ claims and is one of the most sustainable proteins in the market,” added Juan Manuel Benitex-Garcia, chief commercial officer for Solar Foods.

Indeed, unlike soy or pea protein, Solein’s production doesn’t rely on intensive agriculture or supply chains vulnerable to climate disruptions. It’s scalable, localisable and - perhaps most significantly - disconnected from land-use altogether.

The decision to debut these snacks in the US wasn’t a commercial move - at least not yet. It was a calculated experiment in consumer behaviour.

“We are not selling the product in the US now; it was a unique test to gain consumer feedback,” Anttila clarified. “It was important for us to be the first ones to make pilot testing in the US.”

For now, these products remain in pilot phase, but the implications are big. As global pressure mounts to reduce agricultural emissions and scale climate-smart food production, air-derived proteins like Solein could be a major player in the snacking space of tomorrow. And with US regulatory approval already in place and EU novel food approval for Solein expected by the end of 2026, Fazer is well ahead in positioning itself ahead of the curve - ready to deliver when demand for climate-smart snacks goes mainstream.

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From air to aisle

With its Taste the Future snacks, Fazer isn’t just making protein bars - it’s building a prototype for a planet-positive food system. The use of Solein shifts the entire paradigm of how food can be produced.

And while ‘snacking on thin air’ may sound like science fiction, the crunch, sip and satisfaction are very real. Fazer’s chocolate hazelnut snack bar, vegan oat choco drink and Banoffee protein beverage aren’t lab novelties - they’re fully developed, consumer-ready prototypes designed to test how air-based protein fits into real-world diets. By placing them directly into the hands of Future Food-Tech attendees, Fazer is accelerating the feedback loop from lab to shelf, taking a major step toward making zero-land-use protein a mainstream ingredient in the global snack market.