German discounter Lidl is adding animal welfare labels to sausages sold under its private-label brand Metzgerfrisch.
The label is now being extended to sausages after it was initially added to the fresh meat range in 2018.
It indicates the level of animal husbandry standards in the supply chain and helps consumers make conscious choices.
The next step will see the company extend the label to the ‘Dulano’ private-label range.
The retailer aims to introduce the label across all own-brand sausage products.
In February of this year, Lidl Switzerland labelled its meat products with an animal welfare rating from the Swiss animal welfare organisation STS.
Animal Husbandry Label
Lidl also plans to achieve a level 2 for private-label sausage products as a minimum standard by 2025. This level ensures that animals have more space and come from farms that offer better living conditions than basic legal requirements.
Lidl was one of the first retailers to introduce the husbandry compass, a four-step model that gives customers information about the living conditions of livestock used in products.
The retailer also emphasised that it is important for farmers to be involved in the process aimed at creating better animal welfare standards.
Tierwohl Initiative
As a founding member of the Tierwohl (ITW) initiative, Lidl has pledged to make meat production more animal-friendly and sustainable.
The voluntary action alliance brings together actors from the entire value chain in the pork and poultry meat industry to improve animal welfare standards in farms across Germany.
The retailer has also pledged to support farmers involved in the Animal Welfare Initiative with over €50 million in 2021.
Last year, Lidl Denmark announced the introduction of an animal welfare label to its fresh chicken offering.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine. Article by Dayeeta Das. For more Private Label news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
