Lidl and European supermarket rivals commit to shifting sales from animal to plant-based food
The leading supermarket chain in Europe said it will increase the proportion of plant-based sales by 20 percent by 2030. Read More

European supermarkets are increasingly adopting a sustainability strategy their American counterparts are yet to warm to: Measuring sales of plant-based and animal products and publicly committing to shift the balance toward the former.
The latest convert was Lidl International, the parent company of a chain with stores in 31 countries, which announced last week that by 2030 it would increase the proportion of sales of plant-based foods, including protein sources, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, by 20 percent from a 2023 baseline.
The move builds on initiatives that country-level divisions of Lidl are already working on. Lidl Germany has committed to a 20/80 split between sales of plant-based and animal proteins by 2030, together with a 10/90 split between plant-based dairy alternatives and conventional dairy. In 2022, the company’s splits for protein and dairy were 11/89 and 6/94, respectively. The UK arm of Lidl has also committed to hitting a 25/75 split in animal protein in 2030, from a 14/86 baseline in 2021.
‘Quite some momentum’
Retailers in the Netherlands, where the government has encouraged supermarkets to target an even split between plant-based and animal products, have even more ambitious targets. Several big supermarket chains, including Albert Heijn and Jumbo, are targeting a 60/40 plant-based/animal products ratio by 2030. In the UK, many large retailers have followed Lidl’s lead in tracking and reporting plant-based sales, but have not yet set targets.
“There is quite some momentum going on in the whole of Europe,” said Charlotte Linnebank, executive director and co-founder of the Questionmark Foundation, a food systems think-tank based in Amsterdam.
Lidl’s country divisions are using a methodology developed by the WWF and released last October. The methodology outlines steps retailers can take to track plant-based and animal sales with increasing precision. For example, supermarkets are advised to prioritize measurement of protein-rich foods such as meat and nuts over grains and fats. For own-brand products, retailers are encouraged to calculate plant-based and animal content by considering the weight of individual ingredients. For products from outside companies, which may not share such information, retailers can place the product in one of four categories: meat-based, seafood-based, vegetarian or vegan. In the Netherlands, companies are following a related methodology from The Protein Tracker, a tool developed by two Dutch non-profits.
Over the longer-term, the WWF is advocating for retailers to match sales with the proportions of food types recommended in the Planetary Health Diet, which, according to the expert commission that developed the guidelines, constitutes an “optimal diet for human health and environmental sustainability.” The diet calls for a 74/26 split between plant-based and animal foods.
U.S. exceptionalism
Lidl International’s target will be underpinned by targets set at the national level, with one exception. U.S. sales will be included in the parent company’s 20 percent goal, but the roughly 170 Lidl stores, which are situated on the East Coast, will not adopt a national target. Lidl International cited a difference in consumer preferences between Europe and the US as the reason for the exception. “As we grow our business in the US, we’re focused on tailoring our product assortment to better meet U.S. customer demand,” a company spokesperson told Trellis. “This currently takes priority over the integration of ambitious international targets into the still relatively young Lidl U.S. division.”
Food systems experts suggested multiple reasons for why Europe supermarkets are pursuing a type of commitment that North American food retailers have not adopted. Linnebank highlighted the role of civil society in the Netherlands, where grassroots environmental organizations have raised awareness of the impact of animal agriculture on the environment, prompting larger organizations and the government to get behind the issue.
She added that supermarkets and food brands also see the commercial potential of plant-based meat alternatives, which motivates retailers to get behind these new products. Mariella Meyer, senior manager corporate sustainability at WWF Switzerland and an author of her organization’s methodology, cited the example of Rügenwalder Mühl, a German company founded in 1834 and famous for its sausages that now generates more revenue from plant-based alternatives.
“While we are not aware of any U.S. supermarkets publicly adopting a target similar to Lidl’s pledge to increase plant-based sales, U.S. retailers are expanding their plant-based offerings and showcasing their commitment in other ways,” said Abby Sewell, corporate engagement manager at the Good Food Institute, which advocates for alternative proteins. She noted that Sprouts and Kroger have highlighted commitments to plant-based products in sustainability reports, while Walmart and Kroger have introduced plant-based house brands.
“European retailers often operate in environments where sustainability is deeply integrated into corporate strategies,” Sewell added. “Growing consumer interest in plant-based foods, sustainability, and health in the U.S. could drive similarly ambitious targets from U.S. grocers in the future.”
Looking ahead to the 2030 goals, Linnebank and Meyer identified several challenges that may need to be addressed. In the Netherlands, a new and more right-wing government may wish to revisit the 50/50 recommendation set by its predecessor. In many other European countries, including Germany, right-of-center parties that have traditionally been less ambitious on climate are also gaining support. Companies that have committed to targets for plant-based sales also need to make sure all parts of the organization are on board, from the C-suite down, said Meyer.
UPDATED: This story was updated to include comment from the Good Food Institute.
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