Philadelphia Cream Cheese Is Rolling Out Their First Ever Plant-Based Spread

Cream cheese is pretty popular in the United States. Statista reports that in 2021, consumers spent around $238 million on the spread, and nearly 75% of American households had eaten cream cheese. Philadelphia cream cheese, which is owned by Kraft Heinz, was also reportedly the most purchased brand. Though it may be popular, the company found that not all customers were able to find what they were looking for in the grocery store.

According to a press release from Kraft Heinz, the company found that consumers were not satisfied with the current offerings in the plant-based spread market. The company conducted a survey and found that under half of the people purchasing plant-based spreads were not repeat customers. Now, Philadelphia will release a vegan, cream cheese-like spread in order to appeal to customers who are looking to cut dairy from their diets but still crave a creamy spread for their food.

Kraft Heinz has been working on the plant-based spread for over two years, according to a press release from the company, citing a growing interest in vegetarian, vegan, and flexitarian diets as motivation. The brand found that 52% of consumers are interested in increasing their plant-based food intake, and Philadelphia wants to help make that transition a little easier. The new spread will closely mimic the taste and feel of the original dairy cream cheese.

The spread makes the perfect replacement for any recipes that typically use cream cheese — cheesecake, party dips, frosting, or even just spread plain on a bagel for breakfast. Philadelphia's Plant-Based spread is dairy-free, lactose-free, and gluten-free, with zero added dyes or added flavors. Currently, it is only available in an original cream cheese flavor across the southeast United States. If you can't find the spread at your local grocery store just yet, don't worry — the company plans to release it nationwide in summer 2023, along with a few new flavors.