Retailer Lidl GB has revealed it will remove all packaging designs deemed attractive to children from its least healthy own-label products by mid-2025, aiming to support families in making healthier choices.
The decision, described as an ‘industry-first’ and underscoring Lidl’s commitment to more responsible marketing, builds on the retailer’s 2020 packaging changes, which saw the UK supermarket confirm the removal of cartoon characters from its breakfast cereals to help parents resist ‘pester power’.
Its latest initiative will eliminate design elements – such as 3D or animated shapes, brightly coloured patterns or playful product names that do not reflect items themselves – that might entice children toward HFSS (high in fat, sugar and saturated fat) products.
For example, Lidl’s popular gummy bears confectionery product will transition from bright, cartoon-adorned branding to a simpler, more product-focused packaging design that emphasises its fruit flavours.
The initiative goes further than new UK legislation that is set to restrict the advertising of less healthy products to children from October 2025. In spring 2024, Lidl already expanded its ban on cartoon characters from cereal products to all ‘less healthy’ products aimed at children. These changes followed the retail giant removing sweets and chocolates from its checkouts nationwide in 2014.
Lidl’s strengthened commitment aims to ensure that any product deemed as least healthy according to the World Health Organization’s Nutrient Profiling Model, or the Food Standards Agency 2004/05 Nutrient Profiling Model, cannot be marketed in a way that appeals to children, with only the healthiest of products targeting them.
Richard Bourns, chief commercial officer at Lidl GB, said: “As a father of young children myself, I know how influential packaging designs can be on their preferences, and therefore understand the importance of taking a proactive position to better support parents up and down the country”.
“Introducing these changes ahead of the upcoming legislation on advertising, signals our readiness to meet and exceed these standards. Lidl has long been making changes for the better, so it’s great that we’re continuing our legacy of leading the way in supporting healthier lifestyles by removing unhelpful packaging and enhancing designs for products that contribute to better diets, like our Funsize fruit and veg range.”
Rebecca Tobi, senior business and investor engagement manager at the Food Foundation, said the initiative is “a very welcome and market-leading move by Lidl GB to better support families to access healthier diets”.
She commented: “Despite the critical importance of good nutrition for children, commercial foods high in sugar and salt are often heavily marketed towards children, making it impossibly hard for families to navigate their way through the supermarket aisles without falling victim to pester power”.
Lidl said it will continue to ensure its packaging ‘remains engaging,’ but will focus on celebrating the quality and natural characteristics of its products.
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