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By Megan Tatum (wordsbymegantatum@gmail.com)

Publishing: 23 August 2025

Advertising deadline: 8 August 2025

Submissions deadline: 1 August 2025

Plant-based meat alternatives brands joined forces to kick off a combined marketing campaign aimed at driving sales growth and gains in household penetration, which remains stubbornly low, in May. This came as sales continue to fall and profitability remains out of reach for many players, some of which have gone to the wall in recent years. So, what is the sector’s chance of success? How are they hoping to build growth? Why have profits proven so elusive for plant-based players and when are they likely to start making money again?

Product profiles and household penetration: In this feature, we will be exploring which kind of plant-based products are proving most popular, what percentage of households currently buy them and why. Are tofu and tempeh still cashing in on fake meat’s associations with UPFs? How are meat alts fighting back? What about ‘real veg’ products?

Marketing: This feature will pay close attention to how suppliers and retailers are marketing plant-based meat alternatives and how this is changing. Which brands are striking a chord with consumers and how? What channels – i.e. in-store, TV, outdoor, social media, etc – are proving most effective? Why?

Merchandising and ranging: We will also be exploring how different retailers are approaching merchandising and in-store marketing and what impact this is having on their category sales. Have any retailers significantly changed their ranges or merchandising strategies in the past year? To what effect?

Brands v own-label: We will also be exploring the dynamic between own label and brands in this category and how it has evolved in the past year. Which retailers are driving the share gains made by own-label? And how can brands fight back?

Innovation: Another area of interest is NPD. To what extent has innovation driven growth in the category over the past year? Which new products have proven most successful? Have any flopped? We will profile eight of the most interesting new products