• by Erik Oster , March 19, 2024

Impossible Foods consumers will be seeing red -- a lot of it.

The plant-based meat brand introduced a new brand identity and packaging redesign at Natural Products Expo West last week, with an increased emphasis on appealing to meat lovers. While the bold red packaging easily draws attention, the brand claimed in a release announcing the news that the evolution is about “more than a color change.” Its new packages are direct about appealing to meat-minded consumers, with its packaging for Impossible Ground Beef, for example, proudly declaring, “Made For Meat Lovers.”

The Impossible Beef Hot Dog, teased by the brand back in December, will be the first to feature the new red packaging.

Impossible Foods characterizes the new positioning as reflecting an existing strength, with 90% of Impossible Foods consumers identifying as eating meat, according to the brand. In addition to the event announcement and press release, the brand celebrated its new branding with a series of posts on its social media channels.

“We wanted packaging that lived up to and reflected the deliciousness of our products while really popping on the shelf,” Impossible Foods CEO Peter McGuinness said in a statement. “

The company worked with branding agency Jones Knowles Ritchie (JKR) on the strategy, in partnership with its in-house marketing and creative teams led by CMO/CCO Leslie Sims.

“We’re not just growing a brand, we're growing an entire category,” Sims said in a statement. “For a long time, meat eaters didn’t see us as something for them. But our mission relies on attracting meat eaters, so we wanted to do what we could to be more inviting in our approach and messaging. We’re confident that once they try us, they’ll be in.

Impossible’s updated packaging will roll out across the U.S. over the course of the next couple of weeks, and expand internationally later this year. (Outside of the U.S., Impossible Foods is available in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Macau, New Zealand, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and the U.K.)

In the release announcing the news, Impossible Foods boasts that it has increased its market share with a growth rate outpacing category competitors in the U.S., and that it’s the only “major brand” showing consistent growth, citing YTD data through 2/25 from Circana.