Hard Discounters forced into sustainable food products

Hard discounters like Lidl or Aldi are known for offering cheap products that have been exposed to chemical fertilizer and pesticides. Nonetheless, with the global increase of organic food consumption, these giants also seemed to be forced to switch more and more to sustainable products if they want to keep their customer base. This along with the price increase since 2001 for pesticides by 195% and transportation by 233%, has lead big retailers to promise 100% certified products. Bananas would for instance be certified sustainable by the Rainforest Alliance and certified organic.   As Jon Covey head of fresh produce buying at Lidl, is quoted by Fresh Plaza as saying: “This move is yet another milestone in Lidl’s ambition to provide its customers with sustainably sourced produce.” 

Germany and the UK are the first countries in Europe to offer in the retail stores Aldi and Lidl, fruit that is not only labelled by the Rainforest Alliance, but also certified fair-trade. What is new about the 2016 announcements is that in the future not only will the higher priced Fairtrade International and organic fruit be sustainable but also, it is claimed that it will be cheap, conventional fruit.