Discounter
Aldi Süd cuts out its own meat from the lowest levels of farming
Beef, pork, chicken, turkey: Only the minimum requirements apply to meat from farming method 1. Such meat will soon no longer be found in the refrigerated shelves of a large discount store.
Aldi Süd no longer wants to sell its own brand meat from the lowest husbandry level. The discounter announced that this will apply to beef, pork, chicken and turkey from mid-January 2026. Branded items and international specialties are excluded. According to a spokesman, 90 percent of the range consists of own brands. He did not provide any information about how high the proportion of meat from farming method 1 still is.
According to the retailer, the move is unique in the industry. Sustainability boss Julia Adou is quoted as saying in a statement that this is a sign of greater animal welfare. The demand for items from higher husbandry systems is growing steadily. The customers followed this path. In the case of own brands, half of the fresh meat and more than a third of the chilled meat and sausage products are from farming methods 3, 4 and 5. Aldi Süd has around 2,000 stores in southern and western Germany.
Dealers want to change over by 2030
The farming system is a voluntary labeling system for meat and processed pork, beef and poultry products. There are five levels with increasing requirements for animal husbandry – from level 1 “stable” with the legal minimum requirements to level 5, which corresponds to “organic”.
The large retail chains want to completely convert the entire range of fresh meat from their own brands in Germany for beef, pork and poultry to the higher husbandry levels 3 and 4 by 2030. According to previous information, the prerequisite was sufficient availability. At level 3, animals have more space and contact with fresh air, at level 4 they have opportunities to run outside.
Industry: Less meat from the lowest levels of farming
When it comes to meat in supermarkets, there has recently been a movement towards products with better animal husbandry conditions. According to the latest data for 2023, 1.5 percent of pork from the self-service shelf came from the lowest level 1. According to the supporting company, there was no longer any meat from the lowest level of meat in the refrigerated shelf of turkeys and chickens. In this area, level 2 (“Stable Keeping Plus”) dominated with shares around 90 percent. In the case of beef, however, more than three quarters still came from stage 1 in 2023. Forms 3 and 4 made up a fifth. The data refers to fresh meat and preparations such as own-brand minced meat, which make up a large part of the offering.
dpa
Source: Stern
