Aldi South's New Meat Sorting Approach Faces Criticism

Aldi South has introduced a new method of organizing its meat products in stores by housing form rather than by animal species. This approach aims to simplify shopping for customers, with green labels indicating higher housing forms and blue for conventional ones. However, consumer protection groups have criticized the initiative for lacking transparency, as it places ground meat from all housing forms into the green category. This has led to concerns about potential customer confusion.

While Aldi South is pioneering this change, other retailers like Lidl and Aldi Nord continue to use traditional sorting methods by animal species. Despite the criticism, major retail chains plan to transition their own brand meats to higher housing standards by 2030, depending on availability. Currently, most beef still comes from the lowest housing form, although there is a move towards improving welfare standards.

As Aldi South's new concept rolls out across its stores in southern and western Germany, it remains to be seen whether this shift will resonate positively with consumers or if it will face further scrutiny from watchdogs and competitors.