Lidl Belgium has announced its ambitious plan to double sales of plant-based protein products by 2030.
As part of this initiative, the retailer will implement permanent price reductions on its plant-based protein products starting from 15 May, aiming to make plant-based food more accessible to consumers.
The decision to reduce prices stems from a recent study conducted by iVox on behalf of Lidl Belgium, which revealed that over four in ten Belgians express a willingness to purchase more vegetarian and/or vegan products if they were more affordable.
Furthermore, nearly half of the respondents perceive plant-based substitutes to be more expensive than their animal-based counterparts.
Ines Verschaeve, project manager for CSR purchasing at Lidl Belgium, commented: “Proteins are essential for our wellbeing, whether they are of animal or vegetable origin. Vegetable proteins have a positive impact on both people and the environment.”
She continued: “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”.
ProVeg, an organisation promoting plant-based diets, has welcomed Lidl’s initiative, praising the retailer for taking the lead in advocating for sustainable food choices.
Fien Louwagie, team lead communication and public engagement at ProVeg, said: “By focusing so clearly on this, Lidl is taking the lead. We know that the price difference, or the perception thereof, is one of the barriers to choosing plant-based more often.”
She added: “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.”
In addition to price reductions, Lidl Belgium aims to broaden its customers’ choices by expanding its range of plant-based products. The supermarket chain hopes to significantly increase the share of its plant-based protein sources to 20% by 2030.
This expansion includes a variety of legumes, seeds and vegan options as substitutes for meat, eggs and fish. Lidl also plans to raise the share of alternative dairy products to 10%.
The retailer’s own-brand range, Vemondo – which consolidates Lidl’s vegetarian and vegan products – offers approximately 23 items in its regular assortment. Additionally, the assortment is regularly supplemented with temporary vegan products during promotional weeks.
Additionally, Lidl says it is the first Belgian supermarket chain to adopt a method developed by the WWF for measuring proteins, allowing it to determine the share of plant- and animal-based proteins accurately.
