Discounter Lidl wants to expand its organic range rapidly due to increasing demand. "The organic share in the total market is about five percent, and we at Lidl are not there yet, but we want to be in the short term," said Lidl-purchasing director Christof Mross to the Augsburger Allgemeine. Customer demand is changing, "we have to respond to that in order to remain successful in the long term".
The demand for organic items is not exploding, "but it's 
a constant change we're watching," Mross told the newspaper. "The number of people who are really prepared to pay more at the cash register is increasing." Since last fall, Lidl has been converting its organic range to the strict Bioland quality standard.
Mross spoke out in favor of a legally binding animal welfare label instead of the planned voluntary solution. "Basically, we would welcome a state legislated animal welfare label," said the purchasing director. "But we would like it to be compulsory" - not only for the trade, but also for the gastronomy and the processing industry. "It would have a completely different effect if everyone participated."
Source: Ausburger Allgemeine / Täglicher Anzeiger