In early April, the ALDI SOUTH Group has co-signed the "Partners for Plant-Based Declaration: A Declaration to Strengthen Europe’s Value Chain” for its European entities*. By joining this initiative, we stand alongside more than 100 organisations across Europe calling for a more resilient and plant-based food sector.
One of the defining challenges of our time is the growing pressure on global food systems. The impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss, and health burdens due to imbalanced diets are already shaping how we produce and consume food.
The Partners for Plant-Based Declaration highlights how a robust plant‑based value chain can address these systemic issues. Strengthening this value chain is crucial for reducing negative environmental impacts such as greenhouse gases, ensuring long-term food availability, and supporting healthier diets that benefit public health.
Plant‑based food products are made entirely from plants – including vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes – without any animal‑derived ingredients. A plant-based diet is often considered nutrient rich, containing high fiber and has lower levels of saturated fats.
The goals of the declaration align closely with the ALDI SOUTH Group’s ambition to:
- offer affordable plant-based products for everyone
- foster healthier diets that are less resource-intensive for the planet, as they for example use less water and do not create as much greenhouse gases as livestock farming
- collaborate with stakeholders to drive the transition towards a stronger, resilient food system
Our stores already offer a broad range of plant-based options, for example: MyVay in Germany and Plant Menu in the United Kingdom and Ireland. And we’re planning to expand these choices even further.
Food retail remains underrepresented among the co-signatories, making the ALDI SOUTH Group’s commitment a meaningful milestone. Together with other co-signatories – including producers, farmers, and industry networks – ALDI supports a more sustainable and collaborative plant‑based food value chain. ALDI calls on others to join this effort, as meaningful systems change can only be achieved when an entire industry moves forward, together.
The Partners for Plant-Based initiative is coordinated by four leading European food business associations: the European Vegetable Protein Association (EUVEPRO), Plant-Based Foods Europe (PBFE), Starch Europe, and the European Alliance for Plant-Based Foods (EAPF). Together with the co-signatories, they call on EU policymakers to develop an EU-wide plant-based food value chain action plan and protein strategy to strengthen the competitiveness, sustainability, and resilience of Europe’s food system.
* Germany, Austria, United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, Slovenia, Hungary
