Supermarket giant Kroger has announced it will launch more than 50 new plant-based products under its Simple Truth line by the end of the year.
The company’s expansion follows a 20 percent spike in sales in Q2 2020- compared to the same period last year. In 2019, its sales exceeded $2.5 billion.
‘Evolving customer needs’
Simple Truth, which launched last September, will soon offer a range of plant-based products including vegan cheese, non-dairy milks, salad dressings, almond milk yogurts, chocolate chip cookies, and ready-to-eat brownie batter.
According to FoodNavigator USA, CEO and President of Kroger Rodney McMullen said the brand ‘significantly outperformed’ its competitors and will ‘continue to tap into emerging trends and evolving customer needs’.
‘Increased interest’
“We look forward to continuing to drive the growth of the plant-based category through our Simple Truth brand, which exceeded $2.5 billion in sales last year,” added Stuart Aitken, Kroger’s Chief Merchant.
“We anticipate increased interest in our plant-based selection in 2021 and beyond.”
Meat aisle
Last year, Kroger trialed a plant-based protein section in the meat aisles of selected stores.
The store partnered with the Plant Based Food Association to launch the initiative, which believes more people will buy plant meat if it is placed near animal meat – and says the test will ‘put data to the theory’.