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1/ Today, @GoodFoodInst launched a benchmark of the top 15 U.S. #grocerystores on their assortment, merchandising, and marketing of #plantbased foods. Here are the highlights. https://bit.ly/3dbqIQN
2/ #Plantbased meat, eggs, and dairy sales are a growth engine in retail, growing 5x faster than total food sales—and customers are looking for a broad selection of products.
3/ @WholeFoods and @MyKingSoopers (a @kroger chain) are leading the way in capitalizing on the booming #plantbased trend. Both scored 5
overall and offered 50% more plant-based options than most other top retailers.
overall and offered 50% more plant-based options than most other top retailers.
4/ The time for having a couple #plantbased sausages and burger patties on shelf is over. Customers look for different product types (plant-based beef, chicken, pork, fish) in various formats (grounds, sausages, patties, nuggets, strips, meatballs, shreds), flavors, and sizes.
5/ Leading retailers had 100+ #plantbased meat products across refrigerated & frozen sections. PB meat offers novelty for consumers wanting to try new products—it also fulfills their desire for a center-of-plate protein that’s tasty, convenient, and fits their lifestyle.
6/ @WholeFoods had the best overall assortment and best in-store foodservice offerings. Their @eatjust sandwich with @gardein sausage, @Lightlife bacon & @GOODPLANeTFoods cheese is a great example of leveraging branded partnerships to launch innovative products.
7/ Quote from @eatjust: “Prepared food offerings are effective complements to on-shelf product launches and give consumers looking for a healthy, sustainable protein another convenient and delicious option.”
—MATT RILEY, SVP GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS, JUST
—MATT RILEY, SVP GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS, JUST
8/ Retailers as a whole are doing well at providing #plantbased milk products. Leading assortments boast 70–90 SKUs.
9/ With almost 5,000 different plant-based meat, egg, and dairy products sold in the United States in 2019, retailers have a wide range of options for inclusion in their #plantbased product portfolios.
10/ #Plantbased in store-brand collections is on the rise. @MyKingSoopers had the best private-label plant-based assortment, including the @SimpleTruth4U Plant Based line, as well as the recently launched Emerge plant-based refrigerated meat line.
11/ By increasing their store-brand plant-based portfolio, @MyKingSoopers and @kroger make it easier for customers to build #plantbased versions of the dishes they know and love.
12/ In terms of absolute numbers, @Wegmans had the most total products on shelf, with 500 #plantbased meat, egg, and dairy products.
ice cream products. 
14/ On to merchandising! Today’s meat department is transforming into the protein department—a one-stop shop for all center-of-plate protein needs, including #plantbased meat. https://www.gfi.org/giant-food-bristol-farms
15/ Great progress: 65% of retailers merchandised at least one refrigerated #plantbased meat product in the meat aisle. This is smart, because 76% of all consumers prefer to shop for plant-based meat in the meat or frozen section, compared with 24% who prefer the produce area.
16/ @GiantFood stands out for its merchandising of #plantbased products alongside their conventional counterparts. They also offer prominent aisle signage and shelf tags that use inclusive “plant-based” language. 
17/ Merchandising #plantbased food alongside the conventional meat, eggs, and dairy makes it easier for the largest consumer segments to find these products, compare them, and trade up. 
18/ @GiantFood and @MyKingSoopers tied for best signage, both featuring prominent aisle signage catering to all consumers via #plantbased or “plant-protein” language instead of exclusive terms like “vegan” or “vegetarian”.
19/ Key findings from a Mindlab/GFI study into implicit perceptions of the #plantbased category show that consumers are more likely to purchase plant-based products when descriptors such as “plant-protein” or “plant-based” are used. https://go.gfi.org/mindlab2019
20/ Quote from @kroger:
“Kroger anticipates interest in #plantbased products to continue to grow in 2020, with the category being one of the key drivers of our natural and organic sales.”
—JOE GRIESHABER, KROGER’S SVP OF MERCHANDISING
“Kroger anticipates interest in #plantbased products to continue to grow in 2020, with the category being one of the key drivers of our natural and organic sales.”
—JOE GRIESHABER, KROGER’S SVP OF MERCHANDISING
21/ @Target has really nice examples of shelf tags that identify #plantbased and vegan foods with memorable icons: https://www.target.com/c/grocery-wellness-icons/-/N-cnzcb
22/ And looking to the future, check out @bristolfarms and their butcher section, which include fresh #plantbased breakfast sausage, chicken patties, taco mix, meatloaf, and more.
23/ How are retailers doing on marketing and promoting #plantbased meat, eggs, and dairy? Well, 57% of retailers showcased plant-based products in endcaps, displays, or product sampling.
24/ @kroger’s Live Naturally magazine won best retailer-published magazine (along with its sister publication Optimum Wellness, for Colorado). The mag showcases #plantbased products in recipes & nutrition tips, and superbly demonstrates that plant-based products are for anyone.
25/ @WholeFoods won for best social media content. With more than 50 original social media pieces throughout 2019, the company shows that #plantbased products fit a broad spectrum of lifestyles.
26/ @sproutsfm is another retailer to watch on their leadership in #plantbased marketing. Their ‘Plant-Based Tastes Great’ campaign has been making a splash and emphasizing taste, ease of preparation, and indulgence.
27/ A study of implicit perceptions of the #plantbased category found that #taste is the #1 motivator of purchase intent, followed by familiarity and tradition, freshness, and other motivators. Keep amping up taste! https://www.gfi.org/images/uploads/2019/10/GFI-Mindlab-Report-Implicit-Study_Strategic_Recommendations.pdf
28/ Featuring tasty #plantbased options alongside conventional options is important—half of consumers aged 18–34 want to swap animal-based proteins for plant-based proteins. 
29/ To sum it up, #plantbased is a pivotal component of product categories across the store. U.S. retail dollar
sales for plant-based meat are expected to hit $1 billion in 2020 and grow by double digits each year thereafter.
sales for plant-based meat are expected to hit $1 billion in 2020 and grow by double digits each year thereafter.
30/ #Plantbased milk is an entry point for many consumers into other PB categories. All signs point to a continued plant-based trend as most consumers (esp. #millennials and #GenZ) report a desire to up consumption of PB foods.
31/ And there are new developments every day. Today, @FieldRoast launched new #plantbased nuggets... https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/16115-field-roast-rolling-out-plant-based-nuggets
32/ ... @Lightlife (owned by @MapleLeafFoods) updated its products with simpler, #cleanlabel ingredients.
https://www.mapleleaffoods.com/news/lightlife-reinvents-plant-based-protein-line-with-simpler-ingredients-and-new-look/
https://www.mapleleaffoods.com/news/lightlife-reinvents-plant-based-protein-line-with-simpler-ingredients-and-new-look/
33/ ...and @GOODPLANeTFoods announced it completed a $12 million funding round. https://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Article/2020/05/26/Good-PLANeT-Foods-raises-12m-to-expand-its-plant-based-cheese-empire
34/ For retailers, the path forward is clear: cultivating a plant-based strategy to reap the rewards of a happy, healthy customer base while growing total store sales.
Read the full report and see the full star rankings here: https://bit.ly/3dbqIQN
