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Nutrition

Lidl to stop advertising HFSS foods to children through new ‘conscious nutrition’ measures

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2 min read
AUTHOR: Fiona Holland
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Two little girls holding vegetables in the kitchen

From this month, discount food retailer Lidl will begin phasing out the advertising of foods high in saturated fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) to children, as part of a new series of measures being introduced by the supermarket to support ‘conscious nutrition’.

Exceptions to the new advertising rule will only take place for promotional items around holidays such as Christmas, Easter and Halloween.

Following the guidelines of the EAT-Lancet Commission and its Planetary Health Diet, which encourages the consumption of fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, nuts and legumes, Lidl plans to increase its assortment of vegetables and own-brand wholegrains by 2025.

The retailer will also expand the range in its own-label plant-based brand, Vemondo. It currently includes items such as plant-based fish, chicken, pork, tofu, pizzas, spreads, tortilla wraps, yoghurts and ready meals. By adding more products, Lidl says it hopes to encourage more people, besides vegans and vegetarians, to include plant-based products in their diets.

To introduce a higher level of transparency for its customers, the supermarket will also add the Nutri-Score labelling system to packaged goods, helping consumers better understand their nutritional profile.

Lidl is one of several companies taking steps to stop promoting HFSS foods to children. In April last year, Unilever announced it would cease to advertise its food portfolio to kids under the age of 16.

According to Lidl, the “international package of measures” will be implemented in all 32 countries in which it is present, but it is as of yet unclear if the move will be implemented everywhere from this month. The retailer has been contacted for comment.

So far, the move has been announced to take place in Lidl stores in Bulgaria, Greece, Malta and Hungary.

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