CINCINNATI, Oct. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co.
(NYSE: KR), America's favorite grocer, today announced the
expansion of its exclusive Simple Truth Plant Based collection,
unveiling more than 50 new, fresh and flavorful plant-based foods
at affordable prices, including non-dairy cheeses, oat milk ice
cream and Emerge fresh chicken-less patties and grinds.
Kroger's Simple Truth Plant Based collection launched with more
than 20 products last September, featuring vegan chocolate chip
cookie dough, oat milk, sour cream, deli slices, sausage, and other
products. Since then, the line has continued to grow to meet
customer demand, offering a diverse selection of vegan- and
flexitarian-friendly snacks, spreads, dips, desserts, burger
patties and grinds, and more. By the end of 2020, the collection
will feature more than 75 products.
A growing number of consumers are embracing flexitarian living,
prioritizing healthier food choices and reducing their intake of
meat and dairy products, as Kroger reported in its 2020 food trends
outlook.
"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. "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."
The Simple Truth Plant Based collection now includes more
dairy-free options like cheese shreds and slices, oat milk ice
cream, almond milk yogurt and creamy salad dressings as well as
trend-inspired recipes like ready-to-eat brownie batter and
cauliflower dips.
Kroger's team of chefs, food scientists and nutritionists
collaborated to develop the collection's recipes that offer 100%
plant-based alternatives. The integrated team tested numerous
recipes for its non-dairy cheeses, oat milk ice cream and almond
milk yogurt – perfecting the taste and textures to mirror their
dairy counterparts, while ensuring the products remained free of
GMOs and 101+ artificial preservatives and ingredients.
Featured products from the expanded Simple Truth Plant
Based Collection include:
- Cheese Shreds (Cheddar and Mozzarella)
- Cheese Slices (Cheddar and Hot Pepper)
- Oat Milk Ice Cream (Strawberry Graham, Sea Salt Caramel, Peanut
Butter Chip, Black Raspberry Chip, and Maple Pecan)
- Almond Milk Yogurts (Vanilla, Strawberry, Blueberry, and
Mango)
- Cauliflower Dips (Buffalo, Spicy Queso, Tzatziki, and Cilantro
with Jalapeño)
- Caesar and Ranch Salad Dressings
- Ready-to-Eat Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Ready-to-Eat Chocolate Truffle Brownie Batter
Available exclusively at Kroger's family of stores, the expanded
Simple Truth Plant Based collection also features the launch of
Simple Truth Emerge™ Chick'n, a plant-based alternative
to fresh chicken patties and grinds created in response to
increased demand for the Simple Truth Emerge burger patties and
grinds that the retailer introduced earlier this year.
Simple Truth Emerge Chick'n patties and grinds offer the same
taste, texture and sizzle on the grill or in a pan as chicken and
are free of GMOs, dairy, and soy. Simple Truth Emerge Chick'n
patties and grinds provide up to 21 grams of wheat-based protein
per serving and are located in the packaged traditional meat
case.
"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."
According to the inaugural Good Food Retail
Report recently released by nonprofit The Good Food
Institute (GFI), Kroger is leading the way in elevating the booming
plant-based trend. The report also recognized Kroger-owned King
Soopers for achieving the "best plant-based store-brand
assortment."
"We're thrilled to see Kroger double down on plant-based foods
with the expansion of its Simple Truth Plant-Based collection,"
said Caroline Bushnell, GFI's
director of corporate engagement. "Kroger is really driving
own-brand innovation forward with products like their new Simple
Truth Emerge Chick'n. As the nation's largest grocer, Kroger's
commitment to plant-based meat and dairy is a clear signal that
plant-based is a mainstream way of eating that is here to
stay."
Media Assets
To download pictures of the Simple Truth
Plant Based collection and Simple Truth Emerge Chick'n,
visit here.
About The Kroger Co.
At The Kroger Co.
(NYSE: KR), we are Fresh for Everyone™ and dedicated to our
Purpose: To Feed the Human Spirit®. We are, across
our family of companies, nearly half a million associates who serve
over 11 million customers daily through a seamless shopping
experience under a variety of banner names. We are committed
to creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025. To learn more
about us, visit our newsroom and investor
relations site.
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/krogers-simple-truth-brand-expands-plant-based-collection-with-launch-of-emerge-chickn-and-50-new-items-301151896.html
SOURCE The Kroger Co.