UK supermarkets’ incubator and accelerator programmes are now a well-established pipeline for sourcing innovative products, making shelves more exciting and backing retailers’ commitments to “give back to communities”.
With five schemes relaunched in 2024, the commercial value is clear. But what more could they achieve if sustainability was placed even closer to the heart of the offer?
Investigating this, The Food Ethics Council applied a “bubblegum crisps test” to past winners: does the brand contribute to healthier, fairer or more sustainable options, or is it just another colourful indulgence? Passing the test could mean being better than average nutritionally, environmentally, ethically or socially, or enabling more sustainable behaviours such as product refills.
Of the 70 programme winners since 2022, fewer than half passed the bubblegum crisps litmus test.
There are standout examples. Blue Turaco, the first African farmer-owned coffee to hit UK shelves, and Fussy, which makes refillable deodorants, both show how these programmes can surface businesses tackling systemic challenges. Wildfarmed’s regeneratively grown bread is another inspiring case.
But many winners came from snacks, confectionery, and desserts, with soft drinks and alcohol not far behind.
And others were already well-established, growth-stage companies: a third had listings before joining, several had major investment behind them, and some even had Dragons’ Den exposure.
The purpose behind incubator schemes
This all raises a bigger question: who are these schemes really for, and what wider purpose could they serve? At one level, challenger brand programmes are a smart pipeline for retailers to refresh shelves and excite shoppers. But they could also become a platform for wider systems change, helping to accelerate healthier diets, fairer supply chains and lower-impact production, while also supporting retailers’ own sustainability outcomes.
Tesco’s Innovation Connections scheme, for instance, brings food producers and sustainability tech startups together to tackle issues like biodiversity. What if similar frameworks were applied to food and drink challengers, embedding sustainability into the selection criteria?
This is not to diminish the impact the schemes are currently having. They are powerful launchpads that can bring values-driven brands to mainstream retail.
But the conversation is shifting. Could retailers do more to elevate brands embracing fairness, health, and environmental responsibility without compromising commercial success? By doing so, supermarkets could continue to excite shoppers, grow sales and accelerate the shift towards a healthier, fairer food system.
Sophie Corcut is a retail sustainability expert
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