Impossible Foods is entering the UK grocery market for the first time, targeting a plant-based meat sector that the US company believes is beginning to “rebound”.
The brand will launch four Tesco-exclusive products in stores across the country this week: Impossible Burger Patties, Impossible ‘Beef’ Kofta, Impossible Smoky Chipotle ‘Chicken’ Pieces and Impossible Spicy ‘Chicken’ Fries.
An Impossible Foods spokesperson told Just Food the company 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 supplied the UK foodservice market since 2022, serving restaurants and hospitality operators, but this marks its first move into British supermarkets.
“Our sales have more than doubled in the last twelve months and we’ve been on the menus at popular restaurants like Greene King, BrewDog, 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 supermarket launch comes after Impossible Foods entered the European grocery market earlier this year through Dutch retailer Jumbo.
Discussing its performance in the Netherlands, the spokesperson said: “We’ve seen strong sales performance in our first six months on-shelf,”
Impossible Foods also confirmed that the products being supplied to Tesco are manufactured by a European co-manufacturing partner based in the Netherlands.
These four products are exclusive to the UK market and are not currently sold in the other countries where Impossible Foods operates. Its international footprint also includes the US, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.
In a statement issued alongside the UK retail announcement, 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.”
Explaining the decision to work with Tesco, 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.”
Impossible Foods has also been broadening its portfolio beyond plant-based meat. In January, the company partnered with food technology business Equii to develop bread and pasta products, expanding its presence across the wider food and beverage market.
Beyond Meat, its US rival, has pursued a similar diversification strategy as it works to improve sales and achieve sustained profitability.
Earlier this month, Beyond Meat introduced a new nutrition “platform” offering protein bars and powders. Known as the Phytosphere rollout, the initiative follows the company’s unexpected expansion into beverages earlier this year.
