Tesco stocks Israeli plant-based meat in its stores

Israeli food-tech company Redefine Meat is expanding its presence in Britain’s supermarket freezers, adding Tesco to a retail line-up that already includes Asda and Ocado.

The company’s plant-based premium burgers and lamb kofta mix launched in 391 Tesco stores and online last month.

Founded in Israel in 2018 by Eshchar Ben-Shitrit and Adam Lahav, Redefine Meat combines food science, manufacturing technology and culinary expertise to develop plant-based alternatives aimed at meat-eaters as well as vegetarians and vegans.

Its Tesco listing follows a successful UK retail debut with Ocado in late 2023 and expansion into Asda in October 2025. The company initially established its products through restaurants and professional chefs before widening access through supermarkets.

For co-founder and chief executive Ben-Shitrit, winning over shoppers starts with the food itself.

“I think the biggest lesson is that food has to come first. People choose food because they want to eat it, not because they’re looking for a particular category,” he said.

“If we want more people to eat less meat, we need to make that choice easy and enjoyable. That means creating food that delivers on the things people already care about when they sit down to eat: great flavour, satisfying texture, convenience and good nutrition.”

The two Tesco products, sold frozen at a launch price of £4 each, are designed for familiar meals. The premium burgers offer an option for burger nights, while the lamb kofta mix can be shaped into koftas, kebabs and patties, or used in shepherd’s pie, meatballs and pasta dishes.

According to the company, both are high in protein, a source of fibre, preservative-free and contain no animal-derived ingredients.

Simon Owen, Redefine Meat’s vice-president for EMEA, said: “We’re not asking people to change the way they eat. We’re making it easier to make the food they already love with plant-based meat.”

Getting products into shoppers’ baskets is only part of the commercial challenge. Securing repeat purchases depends on understanding what consumers want – something Ben-Shitrit said was central to product development.

“As a founder, you can have very strong opinions about a product, but ultimately the consumer gets the final vote. What matters is whether people choose the product, enjoy eating it and come back for more.”

Redefine Meat’s wider range includes mince, pulled meats and whole cuts. But while technology underpins its development, Ben-Shitrit said shoppers ultimately judge the meal.

“The technology is incredibly important because it gives us the tools to solve problems that conventional food manufacturing can’t easily solve. But technology is a means to an end.

“Nobody sits down to dinner because they want to eat something made with clever technology. They want a great burger, a great kebab or a great meal.”

Price remains another consideration, particularly for families. Ben-Shitrit argued that the industry’s long-term opportunity rests on demonstrating value rather than simply producing the cheapest alternative.

“For us, that means creating products where the eating experience justifies the price. If someone buys a Redefine Burger and thinks, ‘That was worth it, I’ll buy it again’. That’s the kind of value that builds a lasting category.”

His ambition is for plant-based alternatives to become a familiar choice rather than a separate shopping category.

“Ultimately, I’d love to see a world where people don’t think of plant-based food as a separate category at all. They just think, ‘That looks delicious – I’ll have that.’”