Philadelphia Cream Cheese Expands Category Leadership With New Plant-Based Innovation

Philadelphia becomes the first mainstream brand to debut a new plant-based spread

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Philadelphia®, the leading cream cheese brand with 69% share of the category*, is bringing its signature multi-sensorial experience to the plant-based aisle. Philadelphia Plant-Based spread features a carefully crafted recipe with simple, high-quality ingredients, creamy spreadable texture and delicious taste.

Less than half of consumers that try plant-based spreads are repeat customers,* indicating that current options aren’t meeting the evolving preferences of cream cheese lovers. A recipe more than two years in the making, Philadelphia Plant-Based spread marks the first time a mainstream cream cheese brand is entering the plant-based market with a recipe that mirrors the delicious taste and creamy texture of the iconic Philadelphia brand. With this new offering, the brand hopes to delight the 52% of consumers who want to add more plant-based foods to their diets.*

“The influx of flexitarian consumers has driven growth within the plant-based market, which is now more than 20x the size of the vegan population,” said Robert Scott, President of Research & Development at The Kraft Heinz Company. “As the brand that has set the cream cheese standard for 150 years, we realized the current options weren’t meeting consumer expectations and there was no trusted leader. Philadelphia Plant-Based spread not only provides a solution that mirrors the taste and texture of our iconic Philadelphia brand, but it also reinforces Kraft Heinz’s bet to bring plant-based offerings to the masses.”

Made with simple ingredients and no added flavors or dyes, Philadelphia Plant-Based spread is free of dairy, lactose and gluten. It is currently available in the beloved original cream cheese flavor Philadelphia fans know and love, at select retailers in the Southeast U.S. — with additional flavors planned for the national rollout in summer 2023.

For more information on Philadelphia Plant-Based spread, follow along on Philadelphia's Instagram and Facebook at @phillycreamchs.

*According to Philadelphia cream cheese 2021 IRI and Mintel Data

ABOUT THE KRAFT HEINZ COMPANY

We are driving transformation at The Kraft Heinz Company (Nasdaq: KHC), inspired by our Purpose, Let’s Make Life Delicious. Consumers are at the center of everything we do. With 2020 net sales of approximately $26 billion, we are committed to growing our iconic and emerging food and beverage brands on a global scale. We leverage our scale and agility to unleash the full power of Kraft Heinz across a portfolio of six consumer-driven product platforms. As global citizens, we’re dedicated to making a sustainable, ethical impact while helping feed the world in healthy, responsible ways. Learn more about our journey by visiting www.kraftheinzcompany.com or following us on LinkedIn and Twitter.