Impossible Foods has made its UK retail bow in a market where the US-headquartered plant-based meat business sees signs of a “rebound”.
Four new exclusive products will debut in select Tesco stores across the UK this week, including Impossible Burger Patties, Impossible ‘Beef’ Kofta, Impossible Smoky Chipotle ‘Chicken’ Pieces, and Impossible Spicy ‘Chicken’ Fries.
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An Impossible Foods’ spokesperson told Just Food the business sees “a big opportunity to reinvigorate the plant-based meat market in the UK, which has been down slightly over the past few years but is showing indications of a rebound”.
The spokesperson added: “We believe we can boost the category with our unparalleled taste and innovation, and bring more consumers to the category by meeting them where they shop with competitive prices that incentivise repeat purchases.”
Impossible Foods has been available in the UK foodservice channel since 2022 but had not previously entered the country’s supermarket sector.
The spokesperson said: “Our sales have more than doubled in the last twelve months and we’ve been on the menus at popular restaurants like Greene King, Brew Dog, Gordon Ramsay Street Burger, Meatlicquor, and Punch Taverns.
“This success is why we believe our entry into Tesco will help further boost the market.”
The UK retail launch follows the brand’s European grocery debut earlier this year with Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo.
“We’ve seen strong sales performance in our first six months on-shelf,” the spokesperson said of the Netherlands.
Impossible Foods confirmed it is using a co-manufacturing partner in Europe based in the Netherlands, where the four products supplied to Tesco are produced.
The UK retail products are not available elsewhere in the markets Impossible Foods currently supplies around the world, which as well as the US and the Netherlands include Australia and New Zealand, Canada, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates.
In a separate statement announcing the UK retail launch, Impossible Foods’ EMEA commercial vice-president James Hemmings, said: “We’re coming into this retail market with some fresh new energy.
“There’s already a strong base of plant-based shoppers in the UK but there are even more consumers out there who are curious to try products that deliver on taste, convenience and versatility.”
Asked about the choice of the UK chain, the spokesperson said: “With Tesco being the number one grocer in the region, and a beacon for plant-based products in particular, we felt confident that teaming up with the retailer would deliver the critical level of accessibility that would help us make the best first impression with UK consumers.”
In January, Impossible Foods took the unusual step of expanding beyond plant-based meats, partnering with food-tech firm Equii to add bread and pasta to its range.
Its US counterpart Beyond Meat has also been taking the same approach in an effort to boost sales and generate a sustained profit.
Earlier this month, Beyond Meat launched a new nutrition “platform” featuring protein bars and powders. The so-called Phytosphere rollout builds on the company’s surprise move into beverages earlier this year.
