Walmart is stepping up its grocery game with a new line of trendy, chef-inspired foods, in its largest private brand food launch in two decades.
Bettergoods, a line of 300 new grocery items curated by Walmart’s product development team, includes premium food items like pistachio nut butter and plant-based mozzarella. The company said bettergoods is the fastest private food brand it has brought to market. Food items range from less than $2 to under $15, with a majority of products being less than $5. The line extends across Walmart’s grocery sections, including frozen and snack foods.
“Today’s customers expect more from the private brands they purchase — they want affordable, quality products to elevate their overall food experience,” Scott Morris, Walmart’s senior vice president for private brands, food and consumables, said in a statement. “The launch of bettergoods delivers on that customer need in a meaningful way. Bettergoods is more than just a new private brand. It’s a commitment to our customers that they can enjoy unique culinary flavors at the incredible value Walmart delivers.”
The company’s product development team worked with suppliers around the world to source ingredients and flavors for the line. The food items fall into three categories. They are culinary experiences, or items to elevate recipes, such as specialty salts and seasonings and a line of jar soups; plant-based, including frozen desserts and cheese; and made without, or food items catering to different diets, including gluten free or foods without artificial flavors, such as coffee creamer and chicken nuggets.
Bettergoods is meant to attract new customers to the grocery chain, as well as higher-income shoppers who might typically go to Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, which also have their own store brands.
“We didn’t always show up for customers that were looking for this range,” John Laney, the head of grocery for Walmart U.S., told The Wall Street Journal.
Walmart stock was flat in pre-market trading Tuesday. It’s up about 13% so far this year.