Lidl Germany Expands Vegan ‘Vemondo’ Range With Over 450 Carbon-Neutral Products

Supermarket giant Lidl has expanded its vegan offerings in Germany to more than 450 products, sold under its own-label Vemondo. The discount retailer says that all its plant-based food products will now be clearly branded under Vemondo across its stores to make it easier for consumers to identify vegan from non-vegan items. Lidl has also offsetted the emissions of all Vemondo products, making the entire range carbon neutral. 

Lidl Germany has announced the decision to “bundle” all its plant-based products under its own brand, Vemondo, which is now its 100% climate-neutral range. As the grocery chain continues to ramp up its vegan offerings, customers can now choose from over 450 products that bear the yellow Vemondo label, from oat-based barista drinks to plant-based spaghetti bolognese and stone-oven vegan margherita pizzas. 

Other new Vemondo products that have landed on Lidl shelves in Germany include soy-based yoghurts, gourmet-style plant-based cheese slices and almond milks. 

In the future, Lidl will continue to expand its vegan range and develop the products in terms of taste, appearance, texture and sustainability.

Lidl Germany

Lidl says that the new uniform branding across its stores is designed to make it easier for their customers to identify plant-based products on shelves. The company also revealed that it has offsetted the carbon footprint of Vemendo products – including production and transport emissions – to make the entire line 100% climate-friendly.

“In the future, Lidl will continue to expand its vegan range and develop the products in terms of taste, appearance, texture and sustainability,” the retailer added. 

It comes as plant-based demand reaches an all-time high in the country, with sales of vegan meat alternatives growing by an impressive 226% over the past two years to top €181 million (approx. US$218 million) in market value, according to a recent E.U. study. 

Of the 11 European countries included in the research, the German market recorded the fastest growth of all, confirming previous data collected during the pandemic, which indicated for the first time ever that German consumers who identify as full-time meat-eaters are now a minority in the country. 

Lidl’s move follows an initiative by fellow German discount supermarket chain Penny to show the “true environmental cost” of food to consumers, with prices of carbon-intensive meat and dairy products marked far higher than more sustainable plant-based foods. 

A number of other major retailers across Europe and elsewhere have also launched their own plant-forward campaigns to keep up with changing consumer trends, with the likes of British chain Asda launching dedicated vegan aisles in its stores, while Tesco and M&S have set aside plant-based sales targets and innovation teams. 

CPG conglomerates such as Unilever, Nestlé and Danone have also hopped on board, making it clear their intentions to roll out more plant-based alternatives in response to what the Anglo-Dutch group chief Alan Jope described as an “inexorable trend” across every single country in the world. 

Lead image courtesy of Lidl / designed by Green Queen Media.