Germany’s Lild launches the future by pricing its vegan products
In an interview with ProVeg International, Amali Bunter, Head of Sustainability at Lidl Germany, said that the group has set ambitious targets to achieve by 2030.
In the interview, Amali Bunter said that Lidl is committed to promoting conscious nutrition, healthy and sustainable diets. The supermarket chain’s plans are guided by the “net zero targets*” and the “Planetary Health Diet” principle. And their commitment is built on 3 main pillars:
- Healthy eating,
- sustainable nutrition and
- consumer engagement.
* The net-zero target is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions where possible and to compensate for emissions that cannot be avoided through carbon capture technologies.
Lidl’s vegan product range has low prices
On 11 October 2023, Lidl made a serious commitment. It will align the prices of its own-brand vegan range, Vemondo, with those of its equivalent animal products in more than 3,200 stores in Germany. The supermarket chain analysed the ratio of vegetable and animal proteins in its current product range before setting itself this target. Not enough time has elapsed since the initiative was launched to draw any long-term conclusions, but the industry debate has started, as Lidl had hoped. This is exactly what the supermarket chain itself was expecting when it decided to take on the role of change agent. The sustainability chief says the controversy that has erupted puts even more emphasis on the need for a concerted effort, including commercial, to achieve sustainability and conscious eating.
The decision has an impact on European retail trade
The domino principle is at work: grocery chains such as Aldi Süd, Billa, Penny, and Kaufland have announced various pricing initiatives in response to the news. Retailers such as Lidl will be monitoring the impact of their price parity decisions over the coming months and years as they move towards a future where conscious nutrition will be the focus.
The Hungarian market is no stranger to sustainability efforts. According to articles published in Pénzcentrum, a similar process is taking place in our country. FMCG sector players admitted to the magazine that a major transformation in the consumption structure is taking place. Market statistics also show that Hungarians are making increasingly conscious consumer choices.
Following the recent research by NÉGYOSZ on domestic consumption habits, which found that food purchasing decisions are most influenced by price, this news suggests that prices being equal, more people will certainly try plant-based alternatives and perhaps even choose them regularly.