Lidl has launched a trial 'Healthy Till' in each of its 600 stores this week by replacing 'treat' items such as chocolate with products of a higher nutritional value like multivitamin juice and fresh fruit. The initiative is being trialed for an initial 10-week period in order to assist parents in making a considered choice when purchasing their goods. Should the customer response prove positive, it will be rolled out as a permanent fixture.
Lidl makes this move as part of its increasing focus on corporate social responsibility strategy and comes shortly after its decision to sign up to the Department of Health's new fruit and vegetables Responsibility Deal, which was announced in November 2012. As part of its pledge, Lidl has voluntarily committed to rebrand its entire fruit and vegetable range, making it more appealing, particularly for children - with fun characters and jokes on kids' packs.
Lidl also recently announced that it would be supporting the growing public consensus that there should be a more consistent nutritional labelling system across the food industry. It consequently took the decision to introduce a hybrid food labelling system to its own-label products, which will comprise both Lidl's existing Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA) as well as a 'traffic light' colour-coding system. Lidl is currently working together with the government and other leading supermarkets to establish a consistent approach to nutritional food labelling in order to help consumers in their wish to lead healthier lifestyles.