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Leading German supermarket chain Lidl has announced the expansions of its vegan Vemondo range, bringing 17 new products to 800 UK locations and more than 1,500 locations in France.
The discount supermarket chain with more than 11,000 locations in 32 countries, is bringing vegan, budget-friendly options to a number of key supermarket aisles.
Last April, Lidl announced it was rebranding its vegan products under the Vemondo label in a move aimed at meeting the growing demand for vegan food across the EU. That initial launch included more than 450 items featuring a yellow vegan stamp to orient consumers toward the healthier, more affordable plant-based options. But Vemondo is also driving customers toward more sustainable options, too. All items under the new label are climate-neutral; the supermarket chain is offsetting all CO2 emissions from production to transport, it says.
Like a growing number of supermarket chains, chiefly UK leading supermarket chain, Tesco, with its popular Wicked Kitchen and Plant Chef ranges, Lidl is expanding its vegan offerings across key aisles. The new Vemondo umbrella includes plant-based fish, chicken, pork, and oat milk ice cream, as well as gnocchi, medaglioni, pizzas, spreads, tortilla wraps, and other ready meals with prices starting as low as 99p.
Lidl’s healthy food focus
The Vemondo expansion is part of Lidl’s efforts to improve access to healthier food, aiming to increase sales by 35 percent by 2026 across its healthiest offerings of fresh fruits and vegetables. Lidl made the announcement last month.
“At Lidl, we prove that eating healthy does not need to break the bank,” Christian Härtnagel, CEO at Lidl GB, said in a statement. “Our competitive low prices across all our ranges, particularly fruit and vegetables, are marketing leading and ensure customers can access healthy food all year round.
“Our Healthy Eating Pledge is our most ambitious healthy eating target yet and is focused on helping families make healthier choices when they shop with us, without compromising on price.”
Lidl’s shift toward healthier offerings came ahead of the National Food Strategy’s release—the first in England in 75 years.
The chain says it is committed to annual reporting on its efforts to increase healthy food sales, and it will move toward “greater transparency” to help encourage the sales of healthier items. The brand is also committed to reporting on and reducing its food waste.
Lidl expands vegan options
Lidl also recently increased its vegan offerings in other key markets including Belgium and Spain. In February, it launched 11 new vegan items in Belgium.
“A growing group of vegetarians, vegans and especially flexitarians has contributed to decreasing meat consumption in Belgium in recent years,” the supermarket said in a statement. “The greatest motivation to consume less meat is the positive impact on the environment. For the over-55s, health is the biggest reason. One in four Belgians under the age of 34 eats vegetarian food at least three times a week.”
Also in February, Lidl announced the expansion of its Next Level Burger range, which debuted in 2020. It added vegan sausages, ground beef, chicken burgers, and chicken fingers.
Lead image courtesy of Lidl.de, graphic by Green Queen Media.
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