After six years as Tesco’s Director of Plant-Based Innovation, Derek Sarno is set to leave the retailer this month.
Tesco stated that his departure would usher in the next stage of its plant-based strategy, with new ‘veg-led’ products that incorporate more vegetables in their recipes set to feature prominently across the category in the future.
Sarno is trumpeted as being instrumental in bringing plant-based food to the UK, having led the development of two pioneering brands – Wicked Kitchen, which led the way for plant-based retail brands when it launched in 2018, and the affordable Tesco Plant Chef brand, launched in 2019.
The chef and food campaigner is credited with bringing together Tesco’s in-house team with supplier partners, Bakkavor and Samworth Brothers, to create and launch the UK’s first plant-based ranges at scale and introduce new manufacturing techniques.
The Tesco Plant Chef brand now includes more than 180 products, while Wicked Kitchen offers products including ready meals, salads, sandwiches and pizzas.
Under Sarno, Tesco was also the first retailer to introduce plant-based meat alternatives in the meat aisle, as well as establish a commitment to increase plant-based sales by 300% by 2025, which has helped to drive product innovation in the market.
Tesco’s development & innovation of plant-based food will now be led by Product Director, Breige Donaghy, who joined the business last February. She will lead a renewed focus on health and ‘veg-led’ propositions, which aims to make it easier for consumers to incorporate more veg into their diets.
Sarah Bradbury, Tesco’s Quality Director, commented: “Derek has been a central part of our drive to bring plant-based into the mainstream, and it’s no surprise the category at Tesco has gone from strength to strength under his leadership. He’s done a fantastic job and I’d like to thank him for all his hard work. We all wish him well for the future.”
Sarno added: “I’m incredibly proud of all we’ve achieved as a team during my time at Tesco. Central to our success has been the partnership between Tesco and our supplier partners – their commitment and innovation has really brought plant-based food to a mass audience.”
Meanwhile, Donaghy said: “Derek has helped us build a compelling customer proposition across our ranges, and we’re incredibly excited about what the next phase of our plant-based journey will bring.
“We know making healthy eating easy and accessible is key to delivering for our customers. As we evolve our offer this year, we will expand our ranges of ‘veg-led’ options, introducing some delicious new products which will help customers incorporate more veg into their diets whether they are vegan, vegetarian or simply wanting to reduce the amount of meat they eat. We’re looking forward to sharing the new ranges throughout the year and giving customers even more options that meet their evolving needs.”
