The interventions and initiatives we run support our overarching commitments to:
Defining ‘healthy’ food
We apply FSA’s 2004/05 Nutrient Profile Model (NPM) to our entire own brand range, excluding single-ingredient products. This NPM reviews energy, saturated fat, total sugar, sodium, fibre, protein and fruit, nut and vegetable content of products, producing an overall score. Foods scoring less than 4 points and drinks scoring less than 1 point, as well as all single-ingredient products (e.g. fruit, veg, meat, poultry), are classified as healthy.
We recognise that not all products can be healthy, but we’re keen to provide healthier alternatives where possible. To do this, we’ve defined healthier as foods scoring four to six points and drinks scoring one to three points. Foods and drinks scoring more than this are classified as least healthy.
This information is disseminated across key departments in the business and used as a key metric in which our improvements in nutritional values are monitored and opportunities for improvement identified.
Reporting sales of ‘healthy’ food
We’re committed to annually reporting the proportion of our entire own brand range which are healthy, healthier, or least healthy, using this methodology to inform our stakeholders of our ongoing performance. As part of this commitment, we’ve pledged to monitor and track sales of healthy and healthier products, against our total sales. We’re tracking our sales based on volume tonnage as this most accurately represents total levels of nutrition. We compare progress against a 2019 baseline.
Between 2019 and 2022, we saw a 5% shift in ‘least healthy’ to ‘healthy’/’healthier’ product sales. In the past year, this has continued to shift so that we now meet our goal of achieving at least 80% of our sales, based on tonnage, to be from ‘healthy’ or ‘healthier’ products. We are committed to continuing to make shifts away from ‘least healthy’ products, towards ‘healthy’ and ‘healthier’ products.
We have set out several commitments aimed at ensuring the products we sell and the way in which we talk about them support healthier food choices. Our comprehensive reformulation programme led by our expert nutrition team drives positive changes to meet these commitments by incorporating more plant-based, fibre-rich ingredients like lentils, beans, and grains, whilst reducing fats, salts and sugars. We’re looking to introduce new and exciting high-fibre products too - boosting nutritional value and making everyday items healthier.
Increasing fibre
Children's marketing
Reducing salt, sugar and calories
Reducing fat
Reducing additives
Full details can be found in the Healthy & Sustainable Diets policy: https://corporate.lidl.co.uk/sustainability/policies