UK | Food awareness organisation, ProVeg International, has welcomed the announcement by Lidl in the Netherlands to permanently reduce prices on plant-based meat and dairy substitutes to make them equal or lower than their animal-based equivalents.
Lidl also announced that it is the first supermarket to introduce partly plant-based minced meat, consisting of 60 percent minced beef and 40 percent pea protein, to motivate customers to lower their environmental impact. Half of Dutch citizens eat minced meat every week.
Jasmijn de Boo, Global CEO of ProVeg, welcomed the move as a “hugely significant shift” in a major supermarket’s approach to food system change.
“We are delighted that Lidl is choosing to actively promote plant-based foods by both reducing the prices of the products and by creating a blended minced meat that cuts the CO2 of fully minced meat. Much work is being done by supermarkets to encourage the purchase of plant-based food but this move by Lidl in the Netherlands represents a hugely significant shift in the way supermarkets approach food system change.
“Shifting to more plant-based diets is vital if we are to successfully stabilise CO2 emissions and halt habitat and biodiversity loss around the world. Supermarkets play a huge role here and Lidl has shown what can be done to encourage this shift. We urge other supermarket chains to compete with Lidl with their promotion of plant-based foods.”
A survey carried out by ProVeg in 2023 found that the likelihood of people buying plant-based food over their animal-based equivalents increases dramatically when the prices of the plant-based products are cheaper. Earlier this year, another survey commissioned by ProVeg found that plant-based meat and dairy products are now cheaper overall than conventional meat and dairy products in nearly all Dutch supermarkets.
Lidl has the ambition to increase plant-based protein sales to 60 percent by 2030. The minced meat mix is available in all Lidl stores in the Netherlands from today in a package of 300 grams for €2.29.
Martine van Haperen, Health and Nutrition expert at Proveg Netherlands, said: “Lidl is taking two important steps. Price is the main obstacle for people to choose plant-based more often. The move to make plant-based products the same price or cheaper than meat and dairy removes that obstacle. Also, not everyone wants to eat meat substitutes or legumes. By introducing a hybrid product, simply on the meat shelf, they really appeal to the carnivore. They don’t even have to change their consumption patterns. This is a valuable addition that really gives Lidl the opportunity to influence the protein ratio.”
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