Lidl is calling on other supermarkets in the UK to introduce design changes on the packaging of fruit and veg products to help make them more appealing to children.
The discounter made its call after revealing that sales of its Oaklands Funsize range had increased by more than a third since introducing specially designed packaging in 2017.
Lidl claims it was the first supermarket to introduce a range of healthy products specifically designed to encourage children to eat more greens. The collection is comprised of fresh fruit and veg with quirky names and cartoon characters, such as Banana-Llamas and Tawny Tomatowl.
To further engage youngsters, competitions were held to name and design cartoon characters. The result has been the introduction of numerous characters, including Koala Pears, which led to nearly a quarter of a million additional units being sold the year after the competition closed.
Doubling down on its bid to help children eat healthier diets and aid parents in combating pester power, the discounter has announced it will also remove cartoon characters on unhealthy products by Spring next year. Over 14 different product categories will be impacted, such as sweets, chocolates and savoury snacks, with at least 30 products getting a new look, including the discounter’s Sweet Fruit Chews and Multicoloured Fizzy Belts.
The move follows Lidl’s removal of cartoon characters from cereal packaging in 2020. It stated that the changes marked a significant step in helping families make healthier choices after research revealed that over 68% of parents found child-friendly characters on unhealthy food and drink packaging made it more difficult to feed their children a healthy diet.
Peter de Roos, Chief Commercial Officer at Lidl GB, commented: “Our ambition is to make high quality, healthy food accessible to all, and the principal way we achieve this is through our best value prices. But we also recognise that there are other barriers in place, particularly concerning children, and parents are telling us that unhelpful packaging is one of them. This is something that’s so simple for us supermarkets to change, and our results show the positive impact that these small changes can make.
“We hope other supermarkets follow in our footsteps so that, as a sector, we can be confident we’re doing all we can to support parents in helping to improve the diets of the next generation.”
NAM Implications:
- Worth keeping in mind that this is a discounter initiative.
- The combination of child appeal added to healthy food…
- …and diluted on less healthy foods market share…
- ….will probably drive Lidl’s sales…
- …resulting in an even greater incentive for rivals to follow.
- Suppliers be warned…
