Overview
- The ban covers own‑brand fresh beef, pork, chicken and turkey from Haltungsform 1, with branded items and international specialties excluded.
- Aldi Süd says roughly half its fresh meat and over a third of chilled meat and sausage already come from tiers 3–5, but it did not reveal how much remains in tier 1.
- Greenpeace welcomed the decision as a step toward better welfare, while Foodwatch called dropping tier 1 only a minor improvement, noting meaningful gains start at tier 3.
- Rivals outline parallel moves — Rewe and Penny target at least tier 2 by mid‑January 2026 and Lidl largely met its end‑February 2026 goal — as retailers aim for tier 3 or higher across own brands by 2030, subject to supply.
- Market data underscore constraints: in 2023 about 1.5% of self‑service pork and virtually no poultry were tier 1, but more than three quarters of beef were, and higher‑welfare sourcing tends to raise costs and retail prices alongside broader inflation.