Lidl has called on the UK government to introduce plant-based targets as part of mandatory healthy food sales reporting.
The budget supermarket said that forcing other retailers to follow Lidl’s lead on sales reporting would help to “level the playing field.” Lidl has been publishing data on its protein sales since 2023, including what proportion comes from plant foods.
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Amali Bunter, Lidl GB’s head of sourcing and ethical trade, spoke about the topic at a panel discussion hosted by the supermarket brand earlier this month.
“We have a protein-split target,” said Bunter, as reported by The Grocer. “Our goal is by 2030 to have 25 percent of the protein going through our tills by tonnage coming from plant-based sources versus animal-based protein. We’re currently at 18 percent, up from 14 percent when we set the target [in 2021].”
Lidl organized the discussion to mark its most recent annual sustainability report, “Beyond the Basket.” The report celebrated reaching a nearly 22 percent in fiber sales, exceeding Lidl’s “industry-leading target” two years earlier than planned.
Plant-based targets are ‘absolutely’ something Lidl wants the market to do
The supermarket also noted that 98 percent of its identified raw materials now come from “verified sustainable sources.” Lidl aims to achieve 100 percent by 2026. Lidl’s report shows that “healthy” products already make up 80 percent of its sales.
The UK government announced earlier this year that it would make reporting on healthy product sales compulsory for all large retailers, with targets for improvement to be rolled out industry-wide at an unspecified future date.
Bunter said that plant-based and healthy food targets and reporting are “absolutely” something that Lidl wants the rest of the market to be doing. “And absolutely we feel that is a role that government can play in terms of policy to level that playing field.”
Lidl’s ‘healthy and sustainable diets agenda’
Anna Taylor, executive director of the Food Foundation, echoed Bunter’s comments and said, “I think at the very least we should be asking that included within the mandatory reporting requirements, which the government is considering now, [there should be] reporting on the protein split. I think that would level the playing field.”
Beyond the Basket also highlighted how Lidl exceeded its 2025 sales target for private label plant-based meat and milk by reaching a 694 percent increase against a 400 percent goal. This milestone was announced earlier in the year alongside the rollout of more than 20 new meat-free items in its Vemondo Plant! Range.
Speaking at the time, Bunter said, “Surpassing our 2025 meat-free and milk-alternative sales target marks a significant milestone in our wider healthy and sustainable diets agenda.”
According to Lidl, it stands behind its broader commitment to increase plant-based food sales by 20 percent in 2030 as the company “accelerates” its shift towards the EAT-Lancet Planetary Health Diet. Lidl also aims to be net-zero by 2050.
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