Kroger Extends Plant-Based Private Labels, Including Chicken Alternative

The Kroger Co. this week announced an extension of its private-brand plant-based foods, including nondairy cheeses, oat milk ice cream and fresh chicken-less patties and grinds under its Simple Truth Emerge line.

Kroger introduced its Simple Truth Plant Based line a year ago and the Emerge label for meat alternatives early this year, positioning them as a more affordable option to the trendy and fast-growing branded items such as the Impossible Burger or Beyond Meat that appeal to vegan or flexitarian lifestyles.  The more than 50 new items are exclusively available in stores operated by the Cincinnati-based retailer, which has nearly 2,800 U.S. locations.

The new chicken alternatives, packaged as Simple Truth Emerge Chick’n, are made of wheat-based protein and offer the same taste, texture and sizzle on the grill or in a pan as chicken and are free of GMOs, dairy and soy, Kroger said. They provide up to 21 grams of protein per serving and are located in the traditional packaged meat case.

The other new items will grow Kroger’s private-label plant-based line to more than 75 products by year-end.

“We’re excited to introduce the latest additions to our Simple Truth Plant Based collection to provide an expanded selection of affordable, delicious and quality products for our customers who live a vegan, vegetarian or flexitarian lifestyle,” said Stuart Aitken, Kroger’s chief merchant, in a release. “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, and we anticipate increased interest in our plant-based selection in 2021 and beyond.”

Related:How Grocers Can Menu Meat in an Increasingly Plant-Based World

Kroger said it developed the recipes for its new items behind a team of chefs, food scientists and nutritionists, saying they perfected tastes and textures for nondairy cheeses, oat milk ice cream and almond milk yogurt, while ensuring the products remained free of GMOs and more than 101 artificial preservatives and ingredients.

New products from the Simple Truth Plant Based collection include:

“As our customers’ eating styles and health and wellness goals continue to evolve, Simple Truth will continue to deliver an unmatched combination of quality and value for natural, organic and plant-based foods,” said Brad Studer, Kroger’s senior director of Our Brands. “We believe that everyone deserves to have access to fresh, affordable and delicious food, no matter who you are, how you shop or what you like to eat, and we will continue to innovate and inspire our selection of products to deliver on that very promise for our customers.”