Shopping Test: How Domestic Discounters Performed in the Animal Welfare Ranking

The focus is on organic products and animal welfare improved quality seals, as these de facto mean higher standards in animal husbandry. The results show: Hofer leads in the ranking and Penny lags significantly behind.

Discounter Shopping Test: The Ranking in Detail

1. Hofer: Clear strengths in animal welfare improved standards. Hofer impresses with the highest proportion of organic products (about 12 percent) and a comparatively wide selection of animal welfare improved quality seals (about 10 percent). However, about 60 percent of the products do not carry a quality seal.

2. Lidl: Transparency, but little promotion of animal welfare standards. Lidl has the lowest proportion of products without a quality seal (about 24 percent) and the highest proportion of AMA quality seal products (about 65 percent), which are only slightly above the national minimum standards and say more about the Austrian origin. However, organic products (less than 6 percent) and animal welfare improved seals (less than 4 percent) are significantly underrepresented.

3. Penny: Clear deficits. Penny falls behind with a very high proportion of products without a quality seal (over 90 percent) and the complete absence of organic products and animal welfare improved seals.

Results of the Investigation: A Look at the Industry

In addition to the ranking, the shopping test also reveals fundamental problems in the industry:

- Lack of quality seals: Three out of five meat products in Austrian discount stores carry no quality seal at all.

- Misleading origin information: In two out of three discounters, there are pseudo labels that suggest an Austrian origin, but in fact do not guarantee any improved animal welfare standards.

- Imported cheap meat: Two out of three discounters offer foreign meat, which promotes price dumping and complicates control possibilities.

"In Austria's discount stores, processed meat products have little to do with animal welfare," criticises Esther Kronthaler, expert for animal protection policy.

"Nowadays, there are enough high-quality and domestic, plant-based alternatives. A clear focus on plant-based agriculture and sustainability is the key to a future-proof agriculture," says Kronthaler. "These results show impressively: The path to a sustainable and animal-friendly agriculture is still far. Consumers, trade and politics must become active together to drive this change."

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