Tesco is committing to continue to drive innovation across its plant-based alternatives and hero ‘veg led’ options as it plans to grow its meat-free category in the future.
The retailer has made the announcement as plant-based pioneer Derek Sarno stands down from his role as director of plant-based innovation. The chef and food campaigner has spent six years at the helm, developing two innovative plant-based brands and helping to establish plant-based food in the UK.
Sarno’s departure will see Tesco ushering in the next stage of its plant-based strategy, with a focus on introducing more ‘veg-led’ products across the category in the future.
The supermarket’s development and innovation of plant-based food will now be led by product director, Breige Donaghy, who joined the business last February.
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Donaghy will lead a renewed focus on health and ‘veg-led’ propositions, making it easy for customers to incorporate more veg into their diets.
Working closely with Tesco’s in-house team as well as supplier partners Bakkavor and Samworth Brothers, Sarno played a leading role in the creation of Wicked Kitchen and Tesco Plant Chef brand, setting the benchmark across the industry and introducing new manufacturing techniques.
Under Sarno, Tesco was also the first retailer to stock plant-based meat alternatives in the meat aisle, establishing a commitment to increase plant-based sales by 300% by 2025 and helping to drive innovation.
New products set to feature this year include miso edamame burgers and ready-to-cook tray bakes, ideal for families looking for options which include more vegetables. Tesco is also trialling the use of fava beans in a number of product categories as a home-grown alternative to popular plant-based proteins such as soya and pea protein.
“Offering delicious, affordable plant-based food is incredibly important to us as we continue to inspire customers to eat more veg, and try alternatives to meat and other proteins,” said quality director Sarah Bradbury.
“Derek has been a central part of our drive to bring plant-based into the mainstream, and it’s no surprise the category at Tesco has gone from strength to strength under his leadership.”
Sarno said he was “incredibly proud” of what has been achieved as a team over the past six years, attributing much of the success to his supplier partners, adding: “their commitment and innovation has really brought plant-based food to a mass audience”.
Donaghy said she was “incredibly excited” about what the next phase of Tesco’s plant-based journey will bring.
