Animal welfare at a discounter – a contradiction in terms?

We don’t think so. That is why we are working tirelessly on this issue together with our suppliers and various organisations in every country where ALDI North engages in retail. Through these efforts, we aim to enhance the level of animal welfare during the manufacture of our products.

Increasing numbers of consumers are interested in knowing where the food made from animals that they purchase in our stores comes from. They want to ensure that the animals are treated well, which is why we pursue one goal above all in the steps we take: to improve livestock farming conditions on a wide scale, and not only with regard to individual products or producers. And how are we making this goal a reality? By striving to certify as many of our items as possible under various national animal welfare programmes.

For a selection of the animal welfare measures at ALDI North in the different countries, visit:

In the Netherlands, the “Beter Leven” label is a sign of better conditions under which chickens and pigs are kept. The animals have more space and can pursue their natural needs. Under the standard, products are awarded one to three stars – depending on how animal friendly the practices are for keeping animals. Our goal: for all of our products containing raw materials of animal origin to have at least the one-star “Beter Leven” quality label.

In addition, ALDI Netherlands has decided to rely on a slow-growing chicken breed. This benefits the animals, as it means fewer health problems due to breeding. The animals also have more light and space. Their feed includes responsibly cultivated soya. In late 2016, we replaced our entire product range of fresh chicken meat in the Netherlands with meat from this slower growing breed – or with meat that meets the criteria of the one-star “Beter Leven” quality label.

The rearing of laying hens in conventional (“non-enriched”) cages has been banned in the European Union since 2012. However, it is still permitted to rear them in “enriched” cages and to import eggs laid by hens kept in battery cages from non-EU countries. ALDI North has set itself the goal of categorically dispensing with battery eggs by 2025 at the latest. Battery eggs have already no longer been sold in Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands for several years now. We will achieve this goal in Denmark in 2018, while we are scheduled to do so in France, Portugal and Spain by the end of 2020.

We are even going one step further by increasingly dispensing with the use of battery eggs in processed own-brand products in many countries. In Germany, we intended to make this a reality by 2021, but have already done so in 2018. The international animal welfare organisation known as Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) presented us with the Good Egg Award in 2016 for setting this goal. What is more, at ALDI Belgium, already 95 per cent of the own-brand products containing eggs are made without battery eggs. At ALDI France, we will be banning battery eggs in our egg products starting in 2020, and plan to do the same at ALDI Portugal by 2025.

We are increasingly shaping our product range according to animal welfare criteria, which is why we clearly specify which resources and practices we accept (refer to the National Animal Welfare Purchasing Policies).

Many parties are involved – whether directly or indirectly – in producing products of animal origin. To make lasting improvements to the animals’ welfare, we all have to act in concert, which is why we are turning to partnerships and dialogue with suppliers, farmers, associations and representatives of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in every country.

In Germany, one of our partners is the German Animal Welfare Federation (Deutsche Tierschutzbund – DTSchB), whose seal customers will find on certain certified consumer milk products at ALDI. Depending on the region, the products meet the requirements for the entry or premium standard of the “Für Mehr Tierschutz” animal welfare label. What does this mean for the dairy cows? It means more room, for example. Every cow is provided with a cubicle strewn with straw, always one feeding place and at least six square metres in the open pen. Joining this is hoof care performed at least once a year and measures for greater cow comfort, such as brushes. The cows also receive only GMO-free feed. The premium standard includes continuous access to the exercise area and, during the grazing period, to a pasture. While there are no specific legal requirements governing conditions for keeping dairy cattle, the label sets clear standards. For us, the partnership with the German Animal Welfare Federation marks a milestone on our path to greater animal welfare that is both permanent and applies to as many animals as possible.

The ALDI Transparency Code (ATC) creates transparency for our customers at the stores about the origin of various products. In the Netherlands, we also provide our customers with the opportunity to look into the barns on the ATC platform. In videos about the farms, we show customers how the animals are kept and what animal welfare aspects the operations observe.

Watch this video to find out how we ensure the quality of goods during the production process: