From vegconomist.com
Albert Heijn has been recognized as the supermarket chain with the most extensive vegan offerings in Flanders and Brussels, according to a recent study conducted by BE Vegan and ProVeg Belgium. The analysis evaluated the availability of plant-based products in six major supermarket chains: Albert Heijn, Delhaize, Carrefour, Colruyt, Lidl, and Aldi.
Albert Heijn leads the rankings, with Delhaize in second place and Colruyt in third. Notably, Colruyt has moved up to third place, overtaking Carrefour for the first time.
“It is mainly the expansion of plant-based ready meals that places Colruyt in third position. There are more options for easy plant-based meals. Colruyt is also catching up in the area of meat and fish substitutes: the offer has increased by 30% since 2022, and in the case of plant-based cold cuts and sausages, the offer has even doubled. A wide range of vegetarian products have also become entirely plant-based since 2022,” the press release states, according to Gondola.
Lidl and Aldi have also enhanced their plant-based product offerings. Lidl Belgium, in particular, has been permanently slashing prices of plant-based alternatives in order to achieve price parity with meat counterparts, following the success of similar moves in other European countries like Austria, Hungary, and Denmark. Following the pricing changes, Lidl saw the sales of vegan products increase by over 30%.
Product labelling practices
In terms of product labelling, Carrefour systematically uses the official V-Label for plant-based products, with Aldi and Lidl also increasing their usage of this label, providing clarity for consumers seeking plant-based options.
The 2023 rankings largely mirror those of the previous year, with the notable exception of Colruyt’s advancement over Carrefour. Albert Heijn continues to excel in providing vegan charcuterie items and vegan cheeses, along with top scores in dairy substitute segments such as milk, cream, yogurt, butter, and ice cream.
Despite having a smaller variety of products compared to other supermarkets, Lidl scores well in the categories of sauces, dips, spreads, and snacks, while Aldi’s strength lies in meat and dairy substitutes.
Albert Heijn’s goals
Albert Heijn has set ambitious goals for expanding its plant-based offerings, aiming to ensure that 60% of consumer proteins are plant-based by 2030. This includes plans to double the number of alternative meat products, with prices equal to or lower than conventional meat products, and to introduce over 150 new plant-based products to its current range of over 1,000 items. The chain’s own brand, AH Terra, features over 200 products, the largest and most diverse selection available from a supermarket chain.
The company’s latest sustainability report reveals that 44.1% of its protein sales last year were plant-based, up from 42.6% in 2022. This growth underlines a rising interest in plant-based foods across its key markets in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
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