Lidl Belgium plans to permanently lower the prices of own-brand plant-based protein products to the level of animal variants as it seeks to promote conscious and sustainable food choices among consumers.
More than four in ten Belgians (42%) said they would buy more vegetarian and/or vegan products if they were cheaper, according to a recent study by iVox on behalf of Lidl Belgium.
Half of those surveyed (49%) were convinced that the substitutes are more expensive than their animal protein-based variant.
Ines Verschaeve, project manager for CSR and purchasing at Lidl Belgium, stated, "Proteins are essential for our well-being, whether they are of animal or vegetable origin. Vegetable proteins have a positive impact on both people and the environment.
"By lowering the prices of the plant-based alternatives to the same level as the animal variant, we want the customer to be able to make the choice for a plant-based alternative more easily."
Price Reductions
The price reductions will be rolled out from 15 May, the discounter added.
ProVeg has welcomed Lidl Belgium's initiative with Fien Louwagie, team lead communications and public relations stating, "We know that the price difference, or the perception thereof, is one of the barriers to choosing plant-based more often.
"By eliminating this and fully focusing on a more extensive range and involving customers in this story, Lidl is taking responsibility as a retailer. We hope that this will encourage others to make clear choices in this regard."
Lidl Belgium also plans to offer a wider selection of products by increasing the share of its vegetable protein products to 20% by 2030.
The expansion plan includes a variety of legumes, seeds and vegan options to replace meat, eggs and fish.
Moreover, the company also wants to increase the share of alternative dairy products to 10%.
Vemondo, the house brand that bundles Lidl's vegetarian and vegan products, now includes around 23 SKUs in its permanent range.
Protein Measurement Standard
The discounter added that it applied a methodology developed by the WWF for measuring proteins to determine the share of vegetable and animal proteins.
The supermarket chain has analysed all its food SKUs and determined their vegetable protein content per kilogram. The information will now be transparently provided to customers, it added.
Lidl's focus on conscious and sustainable diets is in line with the 'Planetary Health Diet', based on EAT-Lancet research guidelines that combine health and sustainability.
