Lidl Germany to switch to Living Wage bananas 

Lidl has announced that it is to pay a price premium on Fairtrade bananas. The move comes at a time the discounter has been accused of undermining sustainability efforts by offering price discounts on its bananas.

A statement by the retailer said: “Lidl is currently implementing another milestone within its banana range: In cooperation with Fairtrade and the global Fairtrade certification company Flocert, the company will be the first retailer in Germany to offer its customers only bananas from plantations for which Lidl also pays a price premium to ensure the so-called reference price for living wages for workers in the producing countries – while the selling price remains the same. This enables Lidl to switch to “Living Wage” bananas.”

“The price mentioned by the Latam Banana Task Force (€0.95) was a limited time offer of three days for our Rainforest Alliance labelled bananas. This has no effect on current contracts with fixed supplier prices.”

Lidl further explained their approach to banana procurement and the Fair Trade and Rainforest Alliance certifications:

“In all Lidl stores, our customers can choose between three banana varieties: Organic Fairtrade banana, conventional banana with Fairtrade certification and conventional banana with Rainforest Alliance seal. We source our organic Fairtrade bananas from Peru and the Dominican Republic. The respective origin as well as the corresponding certification is transparently marked on the price tag for our customers.”

“Our organic banana is also Fairtrade certified. Fair trade has an impact along the entire value chain and in all areas of production in the countries of origin. The certification requires social, ecological, economic and political standards on the banana plantations and among the producers. These include compliance with occupational health and safety standards and sustainable agriculture.”