Canned food manufacturer Century Pacific Food Inc. made its plant-based brand unMEAT more accessible in the United States with its entry into Albertsons, one of the largest food and drug retailers in the US.
“We are pleased with the trajectory of our plant-based business. While still in their early days, unMEAT’s latest innovations in the space are penetrating more mainstream retailers such as Albertsons and gaining traction onshelf. We’re seeing this trend develop in other key markets as well,” CNPF executive chairman Christopher Po said.
CNPF said unMEAT is rolling out in close to 2,000 Albertsons outlets to expand its reach and increase market accessibility.
The unMeat brand comes in with a range of plant-based meat alternatives, including Luncheon Meat Style, Burger-Style Luncheon Meat and the new Chicken Style Chunks, all priced at parity to meat analogs.
Po said while plant-based protein or meat alternative category has come under scrutiny after all the hype these past couple of years, CNPF remained committed to growing the business despite these developments.
“Two major factors are driving us in this pursuit. One, we believe that long-term trends remain. Consumers still want healthier and more sustainable food options, and we believe plant-based alternatives have a role to play in serving this need. Two, we see ourselves as a protein delivery company. We have the capability to build this vertical, learning along the way, and, hopefully, we can democratize the category in the process,” Po said.
CNPF ventured into the plant-based business in 2020, where unMEAT had its institutional launch through an affiliate company, Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures Inc.
In 2022, unMEAT entered the domestic retail market and began its international rollout in select markets.
Since then, unMEAT has expanded its footprint in mainstream retailers such as Walmart, Harris Teeter, HEB, and Meijer in the US, Carrefour in the UAE and FairPrice in Singapore.