Tesco Says 300 Percent Plant-Based Meat Sales Target Now 'Highly Unlikely'

Tesco Says 300 Percent Plant-Based Meat Sales Target Now ‘Highly Unlikely’

British consumers are increasingly opting for less processed meat alternatives like tofu, tempeh, and legumes

22nd May 2025

3 Minutes Read

Tesco has said that its target of a 300 percent increase in plant-based meat sales is now “highly unlikely,” and cited changing attitudes towards processed foods.

The British supermarket chain noted that the sale of meat alternatives has slowed amid a “year-on-year” decline in the plant-based market, but highlighted “growing demand” for protein diversity in the form of whole foods like beans, legumes, nuts, and tofu.

“Many of our customers who are interested in plant-based foods are turning to veg-led dishes, where vegetables are the star, rather than relying on meat alternatives,” said Tesco in its recently published 2025 Sustainability Report. “These dishes inspire and make it easy for customers to incorporate more vegetables into their diets.”

According to IRI/Circanana data referenced in Tesco’s report, vegetable-led plant-based foods now represent 40 percent of all plant-based sales. This rise is equivalent to an extra 600,000 vegetable-led dishes sold by Tesco this year. The company added that it remains committed to reporting yearly plant-based protein sales in order to track progress.

Tesco, plant-based sales, and whole ingredients

Photo shows a large Tesco sign on the side of a red brick building — Adobe Stock Tesco’s 300 percent sales pledge came amid 2020’s notable vegan meat boom

Tesco announced its goal of a 300 percent increase in plant-based meat sales by this year in September 2020, amid a nationwide boom in alternative protein sales. At the time, the company also pledged to emphasize affordability, innovation, visibility, and availability.

Like some other supermarkets, Tesco controversially moved plant-based alternatives to within the relevant meat and dairy sections. Just Food reported that there has also been consumer pushback about the quality and price of some of Tesco’s plant-based meat products.

As noted by Tesco in its new report, products that emphasize whole, plant-based ingredients like vegetables are a growing consumer trend that brands are attempting to meet.

Earlier this month, new company Oh So Wholesome launched its flagship product, the “Veg’chop,” at hundreds of Tesco stores across the UK. The Veg’chop primarily features whole plant-based ingredients such as quinoa, sweet potato, and chia seeds. Also this month, Beyond Meat’s “heart-healthy” Beyond Steak pieces debuted at 650 Tesco locations.