With major German retailers like Lidl, Kaufland and Aldi adjusting their pricing to promote plant-based foods, how will this shape the industry in the coming years?
Four leading retailers in Germany have reduced the price of their plant-based products to bring them in line with their meat and dairy equivalents.
Budget supermarket Lidl was the first to announce that it will cut prices of products across its Vermondo plant-based range, and ensure vegan products are placed near their meat counterparts in stores to encourage more customers to choose these options.
Christoph Graf, head of merchandising at Lidl Germany, said: “With the price adjustment of our Vemondo products, we want to invite customers more to try out the plant-based alternatives – without the price being the decisive criterion.”
Earlier this year, Lidl also announced that it would reduce the amount of meat products in stores and expand its plant-based offerings in a push to meet its sustainability targets.
Following Lidl’s lead, discount supermarket Kaufland (owned by Schwarz Gruppe, which is also Lidl’s parent company) revealed plans to cut prices of more than 90 products across its own-brand K-Take It Veggie range.
Kaufland’s notable price drops include meat-free mince being slashed from €2.99 to €1.89, vegan cheese slices from €1.99 to €1.39, and dairy-free soya yoghurt from €1.39 to €0.85. The items in Kaufland’s vegan and vegetarian range will be priced the same or cheaper than their non-vegan counterparts, removing the financial barrier that may put people off buying these options.
In a move that further underscores the growing popularity and accessibility of plant-based food in Germany, Aldi Süd shared that it will reduce the prices of more than 10 products in its own-brand vegan range, and Aldi Nord is expected to follow. Penny, another German retailer, is the latest to do the same for vegan products in its own-brand range.
The commitment to price parity is a significant move in the retail sector and will help make plant-based food more affordable and accessible to customers who want to cut down on meat consumption.
We hope to see more retailers follow in their footsteps to encourage consumers to choose more environmentally conscious plant-based options and we’re here to help any business that would like to make a similar commitment. Our corporate engagement team would love to hear from them at [email protected].
