Lidl Becomes First UK Retailer to Set ‘Protein Split’ Targets, Committing to Sell More Plant-Based Meat & Dairy

With a new plant-based private label, Lidl GB has announced that it will make a quarter of its meat and fish sales vegan by 2030, whilst also doubling the current share of non-dairy alternatives.

German discount supermarket Lidl is truly leading the future food shift amid Europe’s retailers. Just weeks after it set targets to reduce scope 3 emissions (which make up almost all of its climate footprint), it has now committed to selling more plant-based food in the UK.

The company has pledged to have 25% of its meat and seafood sales in the UK sourced from plants by the end of the decade, versus a 14% share in 2021. It will simultaneously double the sales share of non-dairy milk, cheese, butter and yoghurt by that time, from a baseline of 6.4% in 2021.

It makes Lidl the first retailer in the UK to set a protein split target, committing to increase the share of vegan products over animal proteins to mitigate its impact on the environment and reach net zero by 2050.

“We know that as a society, we need to incorporate more plant-based foods into our diets to ensure balance,” said Richard Bourns, chief commercial officer of Lidl GB. “That’s why we are proudly standing behind the Planetary Health Diet, which is key to achieving a more healthy and sustainable future and supports our net-zero ambitions.”

To kickstart the shift, Lidl GB has launched a new Plant! range under its vegan private-label brand Vemondo, which will help triple the number of plant-based products on offer.

“Make no mistake, this is a game-changer,” said Emily Armistead, interim director of think tank Madre Brava. “We applaud Lidl for being the first supermarket in the UK to take this bold but essential step towards a more sustainable, healthy food offering.”

Price parity a key focus for Lidl GB

Lidl says it has witnessed a 12% increase in demand for vegan products over the past year, which pushed it to expand its plant-based offering with the new own-label range.

The Vemondo Plant! lineup features 28 new products that will be rolled out to select stores this month, ahead of a national launch in January 2025. These include multiple tofu varieties (from £1.75), burgers and sausages (from £1.89), nuggets (£1.99), and mince (£2.49), alongside vegan cheese, yoghurts, deli meats, and ready meals like lasagna and cordon bleu.

Besides the product expansion, Lidl has pledged to offer “market-leading” prices for plant-based products to amp up its protein shift. It is endeavouring to increase in-store visibility by displaying meat and dairy analogues alongside conventional products, a dedicated plant-based fixture, and increased marketing of its animal-free products.

The discounter is also focusing on the nutritional value of these products to ensure they contain micronutrients like B12 and iron, and are high in protein and low in fat and calorie content, according to Madre Brava.

“We’re the first UK retailer to set specific plant-based protein targets and are committed to breaking down key barriers that currently exist within the category, like price, quality, and availability,” said Bourns.

This speaks to consumer trends in the UK, where two in five people eat plant-based meat for its nutritional benefits, but one in five are deterred due to high prices.

“With the launch of our new own-label Vemondo Plant! range, and the expansion of our branded offering, all at market-leading prices, we’re making high-quality plant-based foods accessible to everyone, ensuring that more customers can afford to make healthy and sustainable choices,” Bourns added.

The retailer will today be honoured with the Bronze Planet Friendly Award from animal welfare organisation Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) at the Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards. “Lidl is setting an example in the UK retail sector, and we hope their initiative inspires other supermarkets to consider the impact their business has on planetary health,” said CIWF director of food business Tracey Jones.

Lidl labelled ‘pioneer’ as experts hail plant-based shift

The move is the latest in a series of initiatives over the last 12 months, through which Lidl is aiming to greenify its own portfolio and lead the protein transition race among retailers globally. Just this month, the supermarket expanded its scope 3 reduction targets, aiming to cut these emissions by 35% in the next decade, and curb emissions from agriculture, forestry and land use by 42.4%.

The most effective way to do this is to replace climate-harming animal proteins with planet-friendly plant-based foods, and Lidl has recognised this by lowering the prices of plant-based analogues to match their conventional counterparts (or even beat them on price) in Germany, Denmark, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, and the Netherlands. It has positioned these products next to conventional meat and dairy items on shelves as well, which has brought sales success.

“Our commitment to sustainable proteins will contribute to significantly reducing our scope 3 CO2 emissions and support a more balanced and sustainable food system for the future,” said Bourns.

The UK is the seventh market where it has set a protein ratio target, although Madre Brava has repeatedly called for a 60-40 split in flavour on plant proteins by 2030. Still, the current target is a start, and a further sign of Lidl’s intentions.

“We can legitimately call Lidl GB a pioneer in this country, and it is notable that a discounter is publicly leading the way. All eyes will be on which supermarket will be the next to take the opportunity to offer more healthy, sustainable food,” said Armistead.

“All the solar panels and electric delivery vans in the world are of no use if supermarkets don’t also tackle the emissions from the products they sell, and shifting sales to more plants and less meat is the truly effective way of doing this.”

Rebecca Tobi, senior business and investor engagement manager at the Food Foundation – which recently published research finding meat analogues better for human and planetary health – echoed this sentiment. “Setting targets is a hugely important step, serving as a North star for driving meaningful change in shifting the food on offer so that supermarkets are better supporting both people’s health and the plan,” she said.

Lidl GB is also working with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) on a five-year, 31-country project to make the retailer’s supply chain more eco-friendly, advocate for sustainable diets, and reduce food waste. The WWF itself published a methodology for retailers to measure protein sales last week, urging them to make 74% of all food sold plant-based.