Supermarket Perimeter - September 2020 - 14

People eat plant-based foods for a number of reasons,
but the overwhelming one is health. Seventy-two
percent chose health, followed by compassion for
animals/animal welfare and lower environmental in a tie
for second (both with 45%).
Other signiﬁcant reasons for choosing plant-based
included weight management (38%), avoiding antibiotics
and additives (36%), cancer and other disease reduction
(36%) and reduce cholesterol and fat intake (35%).
Eighty-one percent of US shoppers have purchased
plant-based meat alternatives, 68% milk alternatives, 64%
prepared meals containing plant-based alternatives.

Kite Hill is one of the many
plant-based brands seeing
a surge in popularity at
Barons and other retailers.

Social media and celebrity adoption have accelerated
awareness of the plant-based trend, Curtis said, citing
a recent MenuTrends study that gathered insights on
penetration of plant-based foods in restaurants and
found that there has been a 621% menu penetration
growth in the vegan category.
And that trend also extends to retail.
"Plant-based food sales have grown ﬁve times faster
than total food sales in the last year," Curtis pointed out.
Forty percent of people who eat plant-based meat
alternatives also eat meats and other animal proteins,
according to our research.
Another 14% are vegetarians, 9% are vegans and
7% are pescatarians (eat seafood but not other animal
proteins).

COVID's (permanent?) impact
According to the Good Food Institute, plant-based meat sales in
particular have grown by 38% from 2017-2019. And on average, shoppers
spend $8.40 per trip on plant-based meat.
COVID has only accelerated demand for plant-based foods at retail.
At certain times, access to plant-based alternatives has been invaluable.
In the nine-week period ending May 2, for example, plant-based meal
sales rose 264%, due largely to an industrywide meat shortage in April,
according to Nielsen data.
According to our research, about 3 in 10 shoppers report increased
consumption of plant-based proteins as a result of COVID, and 89% say
those increases will be permanent.

14 - SEPTEMBER 2020

www.supermarketperimeter.com

In Fall 2019, Sweet Earth introduced its Sweet Earth
Awesome Burger and Grounds. The Awesome Burger
is plant-based and satisﬁes cravings for the meaty, juicy
taste of a traditional burger, while providing plant-based
nutrition and goodness, Curtis said.
Awesome Grounds are perfect for recipes and give
consumers greater ﬂexibility to cook traditional meals
and sides, such as meatballs and tacos, making it easier
for anybody to eat less meat without compromising on
ﬂavor. The Awesome Burger and Grounds are both NonGMO Project veriﬁed and made with pea protein.
The introduction of those products was followed by
the rollout of Sweet Earth Mindful Chik'n, which Curtis
said delivers the taste, texture and an "authentic chicken
experience" without hormones, antibiotics or fats. Mindful
Chik'n has 19 grams of protein and 6 grams of ﬁber and is
ready for recipes - or to just heat and eat as is.
Most recently, in July, Sweet Earth introduced its
Sweet Earth Awesome Bacon Burger, the ﬁrst of its kind
in retail and completely unique to the plant-based burger
category, Curtis said.
Made with textured pea protein, natural hickory
smoke ﬂavor, fruit, and vegetable concentrate for
color, the burger combines Sweet Earth's much-loved
Benevolent Bacon with the Awesome Burger to create a
savory plant-based burger experience that contains 26
grams of protein.
"With the constant rise in plant-based foods, we are
seeing the evolution of the meat aisle into the protein
aisle," Curtis said. "Most grocery carts today shop the
perimeter. We, and plant-based brands at large, will have
much more success if consumers can ﬁnd our product
next to what they're looking to give up versus where
yesterday's 'meat alternatives' are shelved."
Just like the dairy case today has a signiﬁcant
footprint with plant-based beverages, so, too, should the
protein case, Curtis added.
For Sweet Earth, we continue to innovate in the
plant-based meat category that spans from burgers,
chik'n, and beyond to sausages and deli meats debuting

BARONS

New demand, new products

http://www.supermarketperimeter.com

Supermarket Perimeter - September 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Supermarket Perimeter - September 2020