The Kraft Heinz Not Company LLC today announces the launch of NotHotDogs and NotSausages. Somewhat surprisingly, the launch is an Oscar Mayer collaboration and marks the first plant-based offering from Oscar Mayer, also a Kraft Heinz subsidiary, famous in the US for its processed meat products such as hot dogs, bologna, bacon and cold cuts, as well as Lunchables products.
Having already launched animal-free cheese slices and mayonnaise products in late 2022, this marks the first meat alternative product arising from the joint venture between Chile’s NotCo and Kraft Heinz. The varieties NotHotDogs and NotSausages in Bratwurst and Italian sausage are set to roll out into major retailers in the US later this year after debuting at Expo West. The Kraft Heinz Not Company states it has plans to scale into additional categories and that it recently began expanding internationally.
Some eyebrows might be raised on the collab, since just two years ago, Oscar Mayer pulled a bizarre marketing stunt on World Vegan Day, inviting Americans to abstain from consuming the highly processed class 1 carcinogen for the day — with the grand prize being a lifetime of free animal bacon. Nevertheless, it surely a smart move and will bring new consumers into the category, should the price point be competitive.
A boost to the US plant-based sector
While steady progress within plant-based has been seen in Europe over recent months, as well as in the UK where Tesco just that plant-based revolution appears to be entering a second phase, the USA has felt significantly more pain in the sector and witnessed demonstrably less demand and more closures. The launch between household names familiar to the average American family seems bound to see traction.
The company states that, although the US plant-based market is projected to skyrocket from $8.3 billion in 2023 to $19 billion by 20301, plant-based hot dogs and dinner sausage links “remain underdeveloped and under-consumed within the broader plant-based meat category,1 largely due to disappointment in existing offerings’ taste and texture”, 2 and that the Oscar Mayer products are designed to “deliver on these needs and consumers’ evolving preference in the plant-based space.”
People are “hungry” for vegan options from trusted brands
“At The Kraft Heinz Not Company, our goal is to create mouthwatering, plant-based foods that are delicious and accessible for everyone – from the devoted vegan to the plant-based curious,” says Lucho Lopez-May, CEO, The Kraft Heinz Not Company.
“We know people are hungry for plant-based meat options from brands they know and trust. In launching the joint venture’s first product in the plant-based meat category, we saw an opportunity to satisfy these consumer cravings, leveraging NotCo’s revolutionary AI technology and the power, equity, and legacy of the Oscar Mayer brand.”
1Research and Markets, United States Plant Based Food Market, Size, Forecast 2024-2030, Industry Trends, Growth, Share, Outlook, Impact of Inflation, Opportunity Company Analysis, January 2024
2AMC Global – Flexitarian Quantitative Research, December 2023
