Danone has added meal-replacement drinks to its range of Alpro products on sale in Europe.

The French giant is rolling out the drinks, sold under the Alpro Meal to Go brand, in markets including Belgium and Germany.

Danone is planning to take the meal-replacement drinks into "two other European markets shortly", the company said. Just Drinks has asked the company to confirm which countries are next and when.

In a LinkedIn post, Guillaume Millet, the vice-president for Danone’s plant-based business in Europe, said the product would be “soon available everywhere in Europe”.

“On-the-go meal replacement drinks is one of the most exciting and fastest-growing segments in Europe,” Millet said.

“But here´s a hard truth: too often, people don’t finish the bottle. [The drinks are] either too heavy, too sweet, or simply not truly ‘meal‑worthy’, meaning they don’t get all the nutrients they are being promised and end up being hungry again soon after.”

Millet said Danone had “rethought the whole experience” and created drinks with “smooth, easy‑to‑drink textures that you want to finish”.

Danone is launching the beverages, made with a mix of soy and oats, in four flavours.

The products, sold in 500ml bottles, contain 20g of protein from its plant ingredients, the company said. They have a suggested retail price of €3.99 ($4.72) in Germany.

Citing Nielsen data, Danone's German subsidiary told Just Drinks sales of "drinkable meals" in the country's grocery and discount channels have grown by 14% in the last three months.

"Drinkable meals represent a relevant and rapidly growing category," the company said. "We are responding to consumers’ increasing need for quick, nutritious and plant‑based solutions. At the same time, competitive insights show that taste and ingredients remain key barriers to purchase."