The Lidl Live Well logo has been designed to help customers easily spot products that are both nutritionally balanced and good for the planet.
The label has been developed in collaboration with the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) and builds on the Lidl partnership principles with WWF to align with the Planetary Health Diet – a first in the industry.
The Live Well marker will start appearing in stores in the next six months and initially will be used across more than 100 of Lidl’s own-label products. This will include fruit and vegetables, wholegrain products, and plant-based protein products.
With the launch, Lidl has committed to having 10% of own-label food products meet the Live Well criteria by 2030.
The launch of the health marker responds to new research, commissioned by the discounter and the Planetary Alliance, which found that over 4 in 5 respondents view eating healthily as important, but over three quarters said they need guidance to find healthy products.
What does the Live Well logo mean?
Products labelled with the Live Well logo will need to meet a range of conditions, including evidenced-based nutrition criteria approved by the BNF; alignment to the Planetary Health Diet; have at least one specific authorised health claim; and meet criteria tailored to each category’s nutritional profile. This includes:
- Non-HFSS (aligned to FSA’s 2004/05 Nutrient Profiling Model)
- Low amounts of Fats, Saturated Fats, Sugar and Salt (green traffic light labels)
- High in/a source of fibre
Products featuring the logo will also need to meet sustainability standards such as LEAF certification, with critical raw materials verified as from sustainable sources, and include 100% recyclable packaging where possible.
The introduction of the label builds on the discounter’s promise to increase the proportion of plant-based foods it sells by 20% by 2030.
The new Lidl Live Well label is a welcome step in turning ambition into action and clearly communicating what healthier, more sustainable eating can look like in practice.
Sophie Bauer, head of food transformation, WWF
Lidl CCO urges other retailers to follow
Commenting on the launch, Richard Bourns, Lidl GB chief commercial officer, said UK supermarkets must go further if “we’re serious about supporting healthier lives whilst also meeting our net-zero commitments“.
He continued: "We must broaden our view on health and consider planetary health alongside human health, moving beyond narrow definitions and supporting the wider food system.
“We’re proud to be launching our new Live Well logo, building on our industry-leading plant-based food sales commitment announced earlier this year to align with the Planetary Health Diet by 2050. We’ve taken time to get this right – working closely with The British Nutrition Foundation and WWF, to support customers with a clear navigation tool to identify products that support their health and the health of the planet.”
Elaine Hindal, chief executive at the BNF added: “With over 980 Lidl stores across the UK, this project is an excellent example of a collaboration that can deliver genuine impact towards the Government’s new food strategy, and do so at pace and at scale.”
