CINCINNATI — The Kroger Co. is expanding its Simple Truth Plant Based collection with more than 50 new plant-based foods, including a meatless chicken alternative.
“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, chief merchant at Kroger. “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 extended Simple Truth lineup features the launch of Simple Truth Emerge Chick’n, a plant-based alternative to fresh chicken patties and grinds. Free of GMOs, dairy and soy, Emerge Chick’n products were designed to offer the same taste, texture and sizzle on the grill or in a pan as chicken, Kroger said. The products provide up to 21 grams of wheat-based protein per serving.
The Simple Truth Plant Based collection also now includes dairy-free options, including cheese shreds and slices, oat milk ice cream, almond milk yogurt and salad dressings as well as trend-inspired recipes such as ready-to-eat brownie batter and cauliflower dips.
A combination of chefs, food scientists and nutritionists collaborated to develop the new plant-based alternatives. The team tested several recipes for its dairy-free cheeses, oat milk ice cream and almond milk yogurt to ensure the taste and textures mirrored their dairy counterparts, Kroger said.
Some of the new products in the Simple Truth Plant Based collection include:
- Plant-based cheese shreds in cheddar and mozzarella varieties
- Plant-based cheese slices in cheddar and hot pepper flavors
- Oat milk ice cream in strawberry graham, sea salt caramel, peanut butter chip, black raspberry chip and maple pecan flavors
- Almond milk yogurt in vanilla, strawberry, blueberry and mango flavors
- Cauliflower dips in Buffalo, spicy queso, Tzatziki and cilantro with jalapeño varieties
- Caesar and ranch salad dressings
- Ready-to-eat chocolate chip cookies
- Ready-to-eat chocolate truffle brownie batter
“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, senior director of Our Brands for Kroger. “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.”
Kroger's Simple Truth Plant Based collection debuted with more than 20 products in September 2019, featuring vegan chocolate chip cookie dough, oat milk, sour cream, deli slices, sausage and other products. In January, Kroger added Simple Truth Emerge meatless grinds and patties to the range as an alternative to beef. By the end of 2020, the collection will feature more than 75 products, Kroger said.
