Lidl Sees Plant-Based Sales Soar After Placing Products Next To Meat

Budget supermarket Lidl has seen an increase in plant-based meat products after placing them next to animal meat in store.

A pilot study, conducted by Lidl Netherlands in collaboration with Wageningen University and the World Resources Institute (WRI), took place over a six month period. It looked at vegan alternative sales across 70 stores in the Netherlands. It found that sales of plant-based products are up seven percent since they were moved to the meat aisle.

“We know from the research that the visibility of our meat substitutes is an important factor in the customer’s choice to purchase or try a meat substitute,” said Chantal Goenee, sustainability and health advisor at Lidl Netherlands, in a statement. “That is why we will focus even more on this in our stores and marketing in the near future.”

Lidl Netherlands customers were interviewed in-store and given online questionnaires on the change, and most expressed support for it.

Lidl invests in plant-based meat

Plant-based meat next to animal meat in a Lidl Germany store — Lidl Lidl stocks a wide range of plant-based alternatives

Lidl has previously taken a number of steps to encourage customers to buy plant-based meat products across Europe. In Germany, for example, it has reduced the price of alternatives to make them the same price as their animal counterparts.

Last month, Lidl Germany’s purchasing director Jan Bock announced that this price parity had led to a 30 percent increase in vegan meat sales over a six month period.

The move came a few months after the announcement that the retailer would be decreasing meat products and increasing plant products. Speaking in February 2023, Lidl’s chief buyer Christoph Graf said that there is “no alternative” if we going to “feed ourselves within planetary limits.”

Lidl has its own plant-based line named Vemondo, which features vegan sausages, milks, burgers, and more. The retailer is planning to expand it to include more alternatives in the coming months.