What 3d-printed food products have been sold at supermarket chains since 2020?
This fact-check may be outdated. Consider refreshing it to get the most current information.
Executive summary
Since 2020 a small but visible set of 3D-printed food items have actually reached supermarket shelves: chiefly Revo Foods’ 3D‑printed vegan salmon fillet in Austrian/German REWE stores and Cocuus’ plant‑based “3D‑printed bacon” stocked in Carrefour outlets, alongside earlier and ongoing niche supermarket or retail sales of 3D‑extruded pasta and specialty confectionery that predate and overlap with the 2020–2025 period (Revo Foods; Cocuus; Barilla; confectionery firms) [1] [2] [3] [4].
1. Revo Foods’ mycoprotein “salmon” — the headline supermarket launch
Austrian food‑tech Revo Foods moved from lab prototypes to retail in 2023–24 when it began selling a 3D‑printed, mycoprotein‑based salmon fillet in select Austrian supermarkets and in some REWE group stores in Germany, a launch the company and multiple trade outlets describe as the first 3D‑printed meat/seafood alternative available in grocery stores [5] [1] [6] [7] [8].
2. Cocuus’ plant‑based bacon rolled into Carrefour’s meat aisles
Spanish 3D‑food firm Cocuus reported industrializing a plant‑based, printed bacon product and introducing it into roughly 400 Carrefour supermarkets as part of a broader retail push that included plans for vegan tuna and shrimp, with production scale‑up announced in 2024 to supply supermarket distribution [6] [2].
3. Pasta, chocolate and confectionery — quieter existing supermarket and retail footprints
3D extrusion has found earlier commercial niches: Barilla’s BluRhapsody line has sold specialized 3D‑printed pasta shapes beyond restaurants, and large chocolate and candy companies have used additive techniques for bespoke confectionery sold through retail channels or to trade customers, demonstrating that 3D methods already touch supermarket product lines in limited categories [3] [4].
4. Trials, restaurant deployments and “soon in retail” claims: Steakholder and others
Several firms — including Israel’s Steakholder Foods and other startups — publicized 3D‑printed seafood prototypes (eel, shrimp) and retail trials or pilot production, with statements about forthcoming printer deliveries and retail ambitions; some of these remain demonstrations or limited pilots rather than broad supermarket rollouts as of the cited reporting [1] [9].
5. What this selection does — and what it doesn’t — prove about 3D‑printed food in supermarkets
The record shows targeted, product‑specific successes (mycoprotein salmon; plant bacon; niche pasta/confectionery) rather than a wholesale shift of supermarket shelves to 3D‑printed goods; industry reporting and academic reviews stress that speed, cost, regulation and scale remain hurdles for mass production, and that many corporate claims are promotional while true supermarket penetration is still narrow [8] [6] [10].
6. Conflicting narratives and whose interests are being served
Trade and company sources naturally emphasize “firsts” and industrial breakthroughs to attract investment and retail partners, while skeptical coverage warns that big packaged‑food brands (for example, the Campbell’s controversy) are not actually printing soups or canned meats — those claims are unfounded in public evidence — illustrating a gap between PR narratives and verified supermarket sales [10] [5].
7. Bottom line and limits of available reporting
Verified supermarket sales since 2020 are concentrated in a handful of specialist plant‑based and bespoke products: Revo Foods’ printed salmon fillet and Cocuus’ plant‑based bacon are the clearest documented supermarket introductions, complemented by continued niche sales of 3D‑extruded pasta and confectionery; many other announced products remain pilots, trials, or company roadmaps rather than proven, wide supermarket distribution according to the sources reviewed [1] [2] [3] [4] [8].