LIDL UK TO BE FIRST BRITISH SUPERMARKET TO SOURCE 100% SUSTAINABLE COCOA

• Lidl UK to move to 100% sustainable cocoa this month
• The switch will include over 120 Lidl own brand products, as well as seasonal and promotional lines
• Cocoa in all solid chocolate, including Lidl’s entire Easter range, is already sustainably sourced
• Announcement coincides with busiest day for Easter Egg sales
• Supermarket to sell over 1m Easter eggs this year

13th April 2017: Lidl UK has today announced that it will become the first British supermarket to move to 100% sustainable cocoa in the ingredients of all of its own brand products, from the chocolate chips in its biscuits to the chocolate powder on its tiramisu, the chocolate coating on its ice creams and its entire range of Easter chocolates.

The news of the move, which will be complete by the end of April, coincides with the supermarket’s busiest day for sales of Easter eggs, assuring shoppers that the chocolate they buy this Easter weekend comes from sustainable sources.

Lidl UK is dedicated to offering its customers the highest quality products at the best prices, which includes ensuring that key ingredients, like cocoa, are ethically sourced. The supermarket, which permanently stocks over 120 own brand products that contain cocoa, has worked in collaboration with Fairtrade Foundation, UTZ and Rainforest Alliance. The move will help to improve the lives of cocoa farming communities across the world, by improving farming methods, protecting the environment and increasing income through fair prices. The commitment will also include all of the retailer’s seasonal and promotional lines that are stocked by Lidl UK throughout the year.

Ryan McDonnell, Lidl UK’s Commercial Board Director, commented: “Cocoa is a crucial ingredient for many of our products, so it is important to us, our customers and those that work across our supply chain, that it is sourced in a way that promotes sustainable production, improves working conditions and tackles wider social challenges.

“We are proud to be the first British supermarket to make the move to 100% sustainably sourced cocoa, and are pleased to be able to confirm the news ahead of the Easter weekend, when British families traditionally enjoy chocolate.”

Lidl UK’s announcement around Cocoa forms part of a wider commitment to responsible sourcing for a range of the supermarket’s key products and ingredients, including fish, tea, coffee and palm oil, helping to ensure that 100% of its products and ingredients are sustainably sourced.

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