Tesco has launched a new range of plant-based frozen meals with manufacturer Beyond Meat, in a push to expand its vegan selection.
The dishes will be attached to the supermarket’s Wicked Kitchen brand, marking the first time Beyond Meat has worked with another food producer.
Kantar data from March shows appetite for pre-prepared vegan meals at the Big 4 grocer has grown nearly 40 per cent over the previous year.
Tesco hopes to ride that wave of demand with its new range, which it claims is “protein-packed” and “exotic”.
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It is also bound by a pledge from last Autumn to expand its number of meat-free products by 300 per cent by 2025.
“We hope that the launch of these new meals will encourage more people to give plant-based food a try,” Tesco innovation director Derek Sarno said.
“Early feedback from people who took part in food trials for the new range was that they did not believe the meals were vegan.
“I brought Beyond Meat to Tesco a few years ago so it’s great to be collaborating again.”
Beyond Meat chief growth officer Chuck Muth said he looked forward to continuing the partnership with Tesco and working to “satisfy consumers’ growing demand” for vegan food.
The news comes after Tesco revealed that three-quarters of the new intake for its incubator programme were plant-based brands.
The programme, which launched in 2017, has a history of leaning towards vegan companies.
Its latest cohort included Mighty Pea (a pea and oat milk brand) and Tenzing, a plant-based energy drink.
