Lidl takes lead as UK supermarkets fall short on sustainable diet commitments

A new report from environmental charity Feedback, in association with The Food Foundation, has found that the UK’s largest supermarkets are failing to back up their climate promises with action, particularly when it comes to promoting sustainable diets and supporting a shift to plant-based proteins. Despite issuing over 600 environmental commitments over the last decade, most retailers have shown limited progress in areas such as reducing emissions linked to meat and dairy, setting clear targets for healthier food sales, or making their data public.

The report, titled Commitment Issues: Why UK retailers’ climate commitments are failing to deliver, analyzes public targets and progress updates from the 10 biggest food retailers between 2014 and 2024. It finds that while some retailers have taken steps to reduce emissions from their operations, few have credible strategies for addressing the much larger share of emissions associated with the supply chain – particularly Scope 3 emissions from agriculture and land use.

Supermarkets play a critical role in this area. According to Feedback, the food sector accounts for roughly 35% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions, and supermarkets alone control 95% of food retail sales. Yet just four of the 10 retailers reviewed – Tesco, M&S, Aldi, and Sainsbury’s – have set volume-based targets to increase sales of healthy or sustainable foods. Even fewer are making real progress on shifting protein consumption patterns.

Lidl stands out as the clear exception. The discount supermarket, which has already met its own-brand target for 80% of sales to come from healthy or healthier products, has committed to a new suite of targets. These include increasing the proportion of plant-based foods sold, boosting wholegrain and fiber sales, and – notably – ensuring that plant-based proteins such as legumes, nuts, and vegan alternatives make up one quarter of all protein sales. This kind of proportional target, which measures the share of total protein from plant sources, is widely regarded as best practice.

No other major UK retailer has gone this far. While Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Waitrose report on plant-based protein sales as a percentage of total protein, Lidl is the only one to set a numerical goal in this area. Most other commitments remain vague or lack a clear baseline, time frame, or metric for evaluation.

The report also points out that many supermarkets set targets based only on own-brand products, which typically account for around 50% of total sales. This further limits the scope of dietary interventions, especially when trying to influence national consumption patterns toward healthier and more sustainable foods.

Public reporting remains another major weakness. Of 49 current commitments on healthy and sustainable diets not tied to the WWF’s industry initiative, just over half include measurable targets with a percentage and deadline. And only four are based on tonnage rather than sales value, which is considered more resilient to market volatility and inflation.

This lack of transparency is especially concerning given the scale of the challenge. The UK’s Climate Change Committee has called for a 25% reduction in meat consumption by 2030 to meet net-zero targets, and recent data shows that meat and dairy sales account for roughly half of retailers’ total emissions. Yet, as the report highlights, supermarkets have so far failed to demonstrate how they intend to contribute to this shift.

Some retailers have signed up to industry frameworks such as the WWF Basket or the UK Soy Manifesto, which aim to support dietary transitions and deforestation-free supply chains. But these initiatives often lack public accountability. For example, WWF Basket commitments are not disclosed in full to the public, and while several retailers report on deforestation-free soy, gaps in traceability and reporting persist.

In contrast, the Netherlands has adopted a more transparent and coordinated approach. Major Dutch retailers including Ahold Delhaize and Lidl have committed to ensuring that 60% of protein sales come from plant-based sources by 2030. This progress is tracked through a national monitoring system, jointly developed by the Green Protein Alliance and ProVeg Netherlands, which measures the actual protein mix on supermarket shelves. According to Feedback, UK policymakers should consider adopting a similar framework to support domestic retailers.

The report argues that voluntary commitments are no longer sufficient. Without mandatory standards and robust government oversight, supermarkets face few consequences for missing targets or failing to report progress. It calls on the UK government to use its forthcoming Food Strategy to introduce binding regulations, including requirements for supermarkets to set and publish volume-based targets for healthy and sustainable food sales, disclose Scope 3 emissions, and commit to deforestation-free supply chains.

As investor pressure mounts and short-term financial interests begin to challenge ESG commitments, Feedback concludes that only government intervention can ensure that UK food retailers support national climate and health goals. Without this, the report warns, the transition to a more sustainable food system may remain out of reach.