Lidl announces plans to sell less meat because there’s ‘no second planet’

Lidl reportedly has bold new plans to reduce sales of meat, because there’s ‘no second planet’.

The budget supermarket is said to be enacting the move as part of a sustainable new business strategy, according to their German purchasing director Christopher Graf at the International Green Week event in Berlin.

Graf said the move was necessary to help the environment and “meet the demands of a global population”, adding that the world will only able to sustain 10 billion people living on it if we cut down on meat.

As well as reducing animal based products, the supermarket chain is to increase its range of vegan plant proteins on offer, he told trade magazine Lebensmittelzeitung.

READ MORE: Farmers want ban on labelling vegan foods ‘sausage, bacon or steak’ 

Lidl is set to cut down on animal products (Credit: Alamy)

“There is no second planet,” he said. “All throughout the world, we need a more conscientious diet to nourish ourselves within our planetary boundaries.”

Graf added to newspaper Der Spiegel that the change wasn’t intended to “dictate how customers live their lives” but instead simply to give them plant-based options to pick from as well, should they want to use them. 

Whilst there’s no denying some meat-lovers may be disappointed to see the supermarket trimming down on supplies, Graf added that he thinks a lot of people will also see the decision as a positive one.

“I believe that the younger generation is happy when we deal with the topic,” he added.

“Lidl has recognised the signs of the times and is really taking responsibility for the products sold in its stores,” Greenpeace member Christiane Huxdorff said of the changes.

“If fruit and vegetables were exempt from VAT, a diet with less animal foods would also have a positive effect in the wallet.”

The meat will make way for plant based proteins (Credit: Alamy)

READ MORE: Snacks you had no idea were accidentally vegan

Lidl’s reported new strategy comes as there have been global commitments from big companies to honour similar commitments in the years ahead.

At the World Economic Forum (WEF) summit in Switzerland, the chairman of German manufacturing giant Siemens, Jim Hagemann Snabe, was another to urge people to shift their eating habits away from meat.

“If a billion people stop eating meat, I tell you, it has a big impact. Not only does it have a big impact on the current food system, but it will also inspire innovation of food systems,” he said.

“I predict we will have proteins not coming from meat in the future, they will probably taste even better”.