Jumbo Drops Plant-Based Meat Prices as Sweeping Trend for Price-Parity Continues in Europe

Going to the retailer, the high cost of meat alternatives is a common obstacle for buyers choosing sustainable products. This initiative is part of Jumbo’s bigger goal of making 60% of its protein products plant-based by 2030 to foster a transition to sustainable diets.

Even so, Jumbo’s new pricing strategy follows a recent wave of similar initiatives in the European retail trade. Lidl Germany was the first supermarket chain to equalize the prices of Vemondo’s meat alternatives and animal products this October. Since then, Kaufland , Aldi Süd, Penny, and BILLA have rolled out similar quotation initiatives to encourage the adoption of plant-based consumption. Anrico Maat, Retail Director of Jumbo, comments: “We want to help our diners choose plant-based or vegetarian products more often.

By adjusting rates now, we hope to make the choice even easier for diners.” ©Jumbo Price. Taste Committed to plant-based eating, Jumbo introduced its house vegan name , Lekker Veggie, in 2020 and has expanded its offer with a Jumbo plant-based meat range that comprises dozens of products, including bratwursts, vegan chicken chunks, vegan Gyros, vegan mince patties, and various burgers. With the new scheme, for example, the price of bratwursts eased from €3.59 to €1.79 and vegan Gyros from € 3.29 price to € 2.19. A recent ProVeg International paper found that rates for plant-based alternatives are converging with those for their animal counterparts in Germany, where the price-parity initiative has been launched at various retailers. “A sustainable diet must not be a luxury good,” explained Dirk Liebenberg, Head of Food Industry & Retail at ProVeg International and paper author.

The ProVeg study as well highlighted that animal foods are often offered in bulk packaging at low quotations per kilo, while this format is rarely seen in plant-based alternatives. Aware of this difference, earlier this year, Jumbo introduced bulk packs of vega chicken pieces (300 g) and vegan fresh minced meat (500 g), especially for families.

In addition, the chain has been expanding its plant-based offering with legume-based pasta sauces, a range of soy cottage cheese and yogurt, and a pea drink. ProVeg International has in addition pointed out several times that animal products receive extensive subsidies. That their low rates do not include the ecological, ethical, and social costs of their production. “Besides affordability, taste is often a decisive factor here.

That is why we are continuously working on improving and expanding the plant-based range. Just recently, work by ProVeg showed that a number of our plant-based private label products are rated positively for their nutritional values,” adds Maat.