German hypermarket chain Kaufland announces an expansion of its brand K-Take it Veggie to offer approximately 20% more items, now reaching over 100 vegan products.
The new SKUs include Parmesan cheese, salmon, and cheese sticks, adding new consumer options to support plant-based nutrition.
According to Kaufland, one in five Germans is interested in a vegan diet, and more than 1.5 million people in Germany are already living a vegan lifestyle. The trend is rising, and the Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture, Cem Özdemir, is even trying to address the country’s all-time low meat consumption by suggesting new market opportunities.
“With K-Take it Veggie, we want to offer our customers plant-based products that are suitable for every taste and every day, and also inspire them to try new dishes,” says Oliver Schmitz, Managing Director of International Purchasing at Kaufland.
The right offer for a plant-based diet
Kaufland, part of the German Schwarz Gruppe, which also owns and operates Lidl, has more than 600 stores and employs thousands of people in Germany. Today, it lists over 1,300 vegan and vegetarian SKUs from popular brands and K-Take it Veggie, which includes around 180 alternatives to meat, sausage, cheese, and milk.
Last year, as part of its sustainability commitment, the retailer joined Lidl’s price parity initiative by dropping the prices of its alternatives to meat and dairy to make plant-based nutrition more affordable. Even a 2023 price study from ProVeg International revealed that Kaufland offers the most affordable plant-based shopping, highlighting its plant-based milk and burger patties as exceptionally affordable.
Meanwhile, Robert Pudelko, head of purchasing sustainability at Kaufland Germany, says that a recent survey has found that 84.9 percent of respondents confirm that eating vegan in Germany has become much more manageable.
Schmitz adds, “Our goal is to provide every customer with the right offer for their diet. People who eat vegetarian or vegan are an important and growing customer group for us. For this very reason, we introduced the K-Take it Veggie brand seven years ago – and the demand for products under this private label has been continuously increasing since.”
