Co-op adds private label vegan line

UK retailer Co-op Food is looking to get in on the plant-based foods trend with its latest private-brand product line. GRO is a plant-based line that includes more than 35 meat-free products that the company said would be launching at 2,000 Co-op stores and as many as 4,000 independent retailers through the company’s NISA wholesale arm. 

“At Co-op, we make it easier to get products when you need them and we stay close to our customers changing requirements,” said Co-op CEO Jo Whitfield. “We have to provide fantastic products and services with strong ethics and a purposeful focus on convenience. Our new vegan range taps into the latest consumer trends and our online services meet the growing appetite for fast home deliveries.”

Co-op said GRO’s products are focused on convenience, with ready-to-eat items that evoke some of Britain’s most popular dishes, including chili con carne and sticky toffee pudding. Other GRO offerings include a Kashmiri pizza with cauliflower and vegan cheese. GRO brings the company’s total range of vegan food and wine products to more than 1,000 items. These items include more than 120 vegan wines, and will grow further once the company’s beer and cider range goes vegan this year, Co-op said. 

Co-op said its recent Ethical Consumerism report found that the market for vegetarian and plant-based options has topped £1 billion, more than doubling since 1999 — and it isn’t the only chain in the United Kingdom taking notice. Last week, Walmart-owned chain Asda unveiled its private-brand line Asda Plant Based, which includes 48 products sold in recyclable trays and sleeves.