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Amazon’s private label line, Fresh, has added 15 new vegan products. The newly named Fresh Plant-Based is available online and from Fresh store locations.
The new meat and dairy alternatives include almond milk, nuggets, patties, and meatballs. Further expansion of the brand is expected later in the year.
Starting with the basics
Amazon Fresh Plant-Based is starting out of the gate with a range of popular products. Chickenless nuggets and patties, beefless patties, meatballs and mince and two flavours of almond milk make up the first release. The retail giant says it is proceeding with caution when it comes to new product releases, citing a commitment to ‘getting products right’, rather than simply flooding the market.
“At Amazon, we obsess over quality products and great selection and strive to respond to customer’s needs by giving them choices that fit any lifestyle,” a spokesperson for Amazon told VegNews. “With Fresh Plant-Based, we offer customers a selection of affordable favorites that are free from animal products and full of flavor. Fresh Plant-Based has the essentials customers need to create a healthier meal that will satisfy the whole family and won’t break the bank.”
Amazon’s sustainability efforts
The retail giant has had a tenuous relationship with eco-initiatives. Earlier this month it launched a new brand called Amazon Aware. A curated selection of eco-friendly products, it was showcased as an example of how convenience and conscious consumerism could go hand-in-hand. Sustainable materials feature heavily but the launch was somewhat overshadowed by the revelation, just days before, that Amazon’s carbon footprint was being misrepresented.
Despite conflicts between actions and intentions, Amazon says it remains committed to reaching net-zero by 2040. Again, this has come under scrutiny as the giant intends to only include purchases from its private-label sales. The new Fresh Plant-based line will count towards this.
Private label plant-based progress
Amazon is not alone in bringing out private label plant-based foods. In a bid to tap into the growing flexitarian market, Kroger, the US’s largest supermarket chain, has partnered with Impossible Foods. The latter will develop a range of proprietary meat substitutes to be sold across all locations.
The grocery giant has already flirted with vegan products, creating a brand called Simple Truth. The new line is expected to offer price parity to conventional meat items while being faithful replications of meaty tastes and textures. There has been no confirmation as to initial products of release dates yet. Both parties have confirmed their partnership.
At the beginning of the year, we predicted which trends would emerge in the world of al-protein. Chief amongst them was private label plant-based partnerships becoming the norm. It’s a price savvy manoeuvre from retailers who see little return on stocking premium vegan meats such as Beyond and Impossible. In the U.K, Tesco is leading the charge with its popular Wicked Kitchen range, led by well-known chefs Chad and Derek Sarno. In February, the brand revealed its sales doubled during Veganuary, paving the way for optimism as it launched in Finland and Thailand.
Lead photo by Amazon.
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