Translation open letter Physicians Association for Nutrition

To the CEOs and heads of the sustainability and purchasing departments of the supermarkets Lidl, REWE, Kaufland, Aldi Nord, Aldi Süd and EDEKA,

We, the undersigned health associations, are writing to you today to urge you to support your customers in implementing a plant-based diet in the interests of the health of our population and the future of our planet. There is extensive evidence that a diet rich in plant-based foods significantly reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and certain cancers [1]. Switching to a plant-based diet also significantly reduces the environmental impact of our diet, especially by significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and land use [2,3].

Environmental sustainability, in turn, is very closely linked to the health of us all - the climate crisis is the fundamental health threat of our time, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This crisis is increasing air pollution, infectious diseases, allergic diseases, extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts and floods, as well as the psychological consequences of an increasingly unstable world. These consequences affect the health of every single person and at the same time pose huge challenges for the healthcare system as the central pillar of our society.

Healthy people can only exist on a healthy planet.

A plant-based diet supports both personal health and planetary health.

Research in recent years and decades has shown that, above all, a change in the nutritional environment is necessary to bring about a change in nutrition for society as a whole. These food environments must be designed in such a way that it is easy and enjoyable for people to make healthy and sustainable choices.

Supermarkets are one of the most important food environments.

To promote these positive effects, we propose the following measures:

1. Price reductions on plant-based foods: lowering the price of plant-based foods would make them more accessible to a greater number of people and create incentives to buy more plant-based products.

2. Introduction of a “protein split target”: an objective to increase the sale of

sale of plant-based protein sources over animal-based protein sources. This should comply with the criteria of the Planetary Health Diet and the recommendations of the German Nutrition Society and therefore be a split of 60 (plant-based) to 40 (animal-based), as already practiced by some supermarkets across Europe.

3. Implement the recommendations of the Superlist Environment, based on the research of the Dutch think tank Questionmark, comparing your supermarkets' assortment, offerings, policies and guidelines on sustainability in the coming months.

Promoting a plant-based diet in your supermarkets would be a significant step towards improving the health of your customers and the planet. We are confident that your commitment to this cause will not only benefit your customers, but also strengthen your business by positioning you as a leader in promoting health and the environment.

We are at your disposal for further discussions and support in the implementation of these measures. We hope for a positive response and constructive cooperation.

Make healthy and sustainable food the easiest choice for your customers.

Yours sincerely,

The undersigned associations