ONE GRAIN AT A TIME: LIDL GB RECEIVES SUSTAINABLE RICE VERIFICATION IN UK SUPERMARKET FIRST

• Lidl GB is the first UK supermarket to have its own-label rice verified under the 'Sustainable Rice Platform' (SRP) label.
• The verification helps address environmental issues, such as reducing global freshwater usage and methane emissions from traditional production.
• This follows on from Lidl GB meeting all its 2025 raw material targets.

Lidl GB is proud to be the first UK supermarket to have own-label rice verified under the 'Sustainable Rice Platform' (SRP) label, supporting high environmental and social standards. The verified rice is now available in stores nationwide.

Rice is a vital crop for 150 million farmers globally, but its traditional production methods are challenging, accounting for up to 40% of global freshwater usage and generating approximately 10% of global methane emissions.

By choosing this verified rice, customers are helping to address these issues. The new standard ensures the rice is grown to protect the planet, through using fewer resources and helping improve farmer incomes by making cultivation more efficient. This framework also provides vital traceability across the entire supply chain.

This launch reinforces Lidl GB’s long-standing commitment to human rights and responsible sourcing and follows on from the discounter meeting all of its 2025 raw material targets. Lidl has been conducting Human Rights Impact Assessments for identified critical raw materials for a number of years, including: Kenyan tea, Colombian bananas, Italian tinned tomatoes, and South African wine. Targeted action plans are developed to address identified challenges and support continuous improvement across the supply chain, both in Great Britain and worldwide. 

Charlotte Curtress, Head of Quality and Sustainability at Lidl GB, said: “Introducing SRP-verified rice is a major milestone in responsible sourcing, driving sustainability across the supply chain and meeting all of our 2025 raw material targets. This verifiable standard directly addresses environmental challenges by protecting the planet, using fewer resources, and helping improve farmer incomes. Building on this milestone, we are already continuing our responsible sourcing work by conducting a Human Rights and Environmental Impact Assessment in the rice supply chain, collaborating with industry partners to identify and address further areas for activity.”

Peter McAllister, Executive Director at Sustainable Rice Platform, said: “We are delighted to see Lidl GB taking leadership in offering Sustainable Rice to its customers. Rice has a significant impact on the climate and the local environment. By sourcing SRP Verified Rice, Lidl GB sends a strong signal about its commitment to sustainability to its customers and at the same time directly helps farmers to be more productive, protect their local environment and ensure climate resilience.”

This latest announcement is underpinned by Lidl GB’s core philosophy that sustainability is a right, not a luxury. By introducing this first-to-market verified staple, the discounter ensures that good value consistently comes with good values.

ENDS

Notes to Editor
About Lidl GB
Since establishing itself in Great Britain in 1994, Lidl GB has experienced continuous growth and today has over 35,000 employees, 1,000 stores and 13 distribution centres in England, Scotland and Wales.

As part of the Schwarz retail group, Lidl is one of Europe’s leading organisations in the food retail industry. The supermarket, which has more than 382,400 employees globally, currently operates around 12,600 stores and more than 230 logistics centres and warehouses in 31 countries.

The supermarket takes pride in providing its customers with the highest quality products at the lowest possible prices throughout Great Britain, from Kirkwall to the Isle of Wight.

Lidl GB is a key contributor to the British economy, generating £14.5bn in Gross Value Added in FY24, supporting over 281,000 jobs, and contributing more than £1bn in tax to public services. Driven by a core commitment to social responsibility and sustainability, the retailer sources two-thirds of its products from British suppliers, creating a powerful multiplier effect where every £1 of direct value generates an additional £9 across the wider domestic value chain.

The Schwarz Group, which operates worldwide as a retail group, generated a revenue of €167.3 billion in the financial year 2024. 

For more information about Lidl GB visit corporate.lidl.co.uk