Tesco Reports Plant-Based Growth Led By Health-Conscious 'Scratch Cooking'

Tesco just reported plant-based food growth “for the first time in years.”

The British supermarket highlighted recent market data from Nielsen showing one percent growth for chilled plant-based foods over 12 months, and 1.7 percent growth in the 12 weeks leading up to the end of 2025.

Tesco said that its own shoppers are noticeably more selective and looking for health benefits in the plant-based foods that they purchase. The company linked Nielsen’s data on sector growth to this consumer shift to “veg-led” scratch cooking.

“We are beginning to see the green shoots of recovery across the UK’s plant-based food sector, as a growing number of shoppers place long-term health and wellbeing at the centre of their food choices,” Bethan Jones, a plant-based buyer at Tesco, said in a statement. “Increasingly, the inclusion of vegetables and plant foods is being seen not as a passing preference, but as a fundamental part of how people expect to eat in the future.”

Tesco highlighted growing demand for high-protein ingredients like tofu, seitan, and tempeh, citing a 12 percent increase in sales over the last year. Meanwhile, demand for plant-based mince increased by nearly 25 percent, and demand for snack foods like falafel and mini sausages has grown by approximately five percent.

“Momentum is returning in a more grounded form,” Jones said. “A growing micro-trend focused on whole-food plant proteins – including beans, lentils, chickpeas, tofu and wholegrains – is helping to drive renewed sales, signalling a shift from short-term trend to lasting dietary change.”

‘Shoppers are looking for whole foods that are genuinely healthy’

Photo shows the plant-based aisle in a Tesco supermarket — Adobe Stock According to Nielsen, chilled plant-based food sales increased by 1.7 percent in 12 weeks

Vegan food brand Gosh! welcomed the news, and reported its own six percent growth in its sales over the last 52 weeks. Gosh! makes falafel, burger patties, “bites,” and sausages from whole plant-based ingredients like beetroot and beans.

Caroline Hughes, the company’s marketing director, said, “As more people eat their way to happier, healthier lifestyles by adding more plants to their plates, it’s no surprise that more natural products are helping to reignite category growth.”

She added, “Shoppers are looking for whole foods that are genuinely healthy, with no hidden nasties, and that support their overall wellbeing.”