(GRE) LIDL TO INCREASE PLANT BASED FOOD SALES

German discount retailer Lidl will increase the share of plant-based food sales by 20% across all 31 countries it operates in by the end of the decade, with support from the WWF.

Extending its reputation as a food sustainability pioneer, Lidl International has committed to increasing the proportion of plant-based proteins, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains sold by 20% by 2030.

The retailer is the first to announce such a strategy across all 31 countries it operates in. It supports the Germany-headquartered company’s Conscious Nutrition strategy to offer a food range in line with the Planetary Health Diet, and applies not just to its private-label lineup, but also third-party brands, and standard and promotional ranges.

It’s also an extension of Lidl’s five-year partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), which was established last summer and namechecked sustainable diets as one of the pillars. In October, the conservation organisation introduced a methodology to help retailers align their sales with their climate goals, a tool Lidl is using as part of this move.

Lidl has been pushing to ramp up its sustainability efforts over the last year. It recently expanded its reduction targets for scope 3 emissions (which make up over 99% of its climate footprint) – it now aims to lower these by 35% over the next decade, and curb emissions from agriculture, forestry and land use by 42.4%.

Selling a greater amount of plant-based food to replace animal protein sales is the most effective way to do so, given that meat and dairy production alone makes up at least half of the retailer’s scope 3 emissions.

In 2023, the company – which owns the own-label Vemondo range – committed to doubling the share of its plant-based meat and dairy sales by 2030. And over the next year, it marginally increased the proportion of vegan meat sales from 11.1% to 11.8%, and non-dairy products from 6.1% to 6.6%.

Now, it’s vowed to grow plant-based sales by 20% from a 2023 baseline. “For years, we have been developing our product range with a focus on conscious nutrition,” said Stefan Haensel, senior VP of quality and sustainability at Lidl International.

“In the past, we have created a strong foundation for a Conscious Nutrition strategy, which we can now build on to pursue our new, ambitious goals for the future,” he added.

To achieve this goal, Lidl will monitor and report the ratio of animal and plant protein sources to add more sustainable and healthy plant-based sources to its offering. It will rely on the WWF’s methodology, which provides retailers with a stepwise approach to drive the protein transition. More of this article (green queen) - link - more like this (food) - link - more like this (Germany) - link - more like this (Lidl) - link