“Fresh meat products are an important part of the daily shopping basket for customers, so we strive to offer as many local origin options as possible in our stores. By cooperating with Lithuanian producers and farmers, we can offer meat grown and produced in Lithuania, whose path to the store shelf is clear and short,” says Antanas Bubnelis, Head of Corporate Affairs and Communications at Lidl Lithuania.
Local production – a sign of trust
Local meat offers several advantages to customers. A shorter supply chain helps ensure product freshness, quality, and safety, while a clear traceability system allows precise knowledge of where the product came from. At the same time, this provides the opportunity to purchase locally sourced meat at a competitive price.
“Freshness and quality are among our top priorities, so we set strict quality requirements for each partner. The food product quality assurance system includes chemical and microbiological product tests conducted in accredited laboratories, production site audits, and product tastings. We are proud to work with Lithuanian farmers and producers who responsibly care for the quality of their products,” emphasizes A. Bubnelis.
Additional quality control is confirmed by the “Eurofins” quality mark on the packaging of Lidl’s private label meat products. It shows that these products are regularly tested in an independent Eurofins laboratory. This gives customers more confidence in the freshness, quality, and safety of the products. Lidl is the only retail chain in Lithuania where you can buy meat products marked with the Eurofins quality mark.
By choosing products from local producers, consumers not only get quality products at an affordable price but also contribute to the growth of Lithuanian farmers and businesses and the strengthening of the country’s economy. Moreover, due to shorter supply chains and shorter transportation distances, local products are also associated with more sustainable consumption.
Freshness ensured by a shorter path to stores
One of Lidl’s long-term partners is the meat processing company BIOVELA Group, cooperating with the retail chain since 2016. During this period, the partnership has steadily expanded – today, customers are offered not only a wider range of fresh meat but also well-known products under the Biovela and Utenos mėsa brands.
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“Last year, we opened the largest pig slaughterhouse in the Baltic States in Utena and optimized production processes together. This allowed us to further shorten the path from the farm to store shelves, so the products reach consumers faster than in cases where raw materials or final products are imported from other countries. The larger capacity of the new slaughterhouse also allows us to ensure supply to stores more efficiently while maintaining high freshness and quality standards,” notes Žilvinas Lenktaitis, CEO of BIOVELA Group.
Beneficial for both customers and producers
Long-term cooperation benefits not only the retail chain and customers but also Lithuanian producers. Lidl helps local businesses reach a wider domestic market, implement international quality standards, and strengthen processes that can open the way to export to other countries.
“Some meat products reach the shelves with producers’ brands, while some are created by local producers specifically for Lidl’s private label assortment, such as Pikok. Such cooperation allows Lithuanian companies to leverage the experience of an international retail chain, and customers to choose quality, locally produced products at an even better price,” says the Head of Corporate Affairs and Communications at Lidl Lithuania.
This is also confirmed by the CEO of BIOVELA Group. “We view cooperation with an international retail chain as an opportunity to continuously improve – to adopt best practices in quality, efficiency, and sustainability. Such partnerships strengthen our competitiveness and create conditions for long-term growth,” says Ž. Lenktaitis.
Fresh and quality meat and its products at a low price can be purchased in 86 Lidl stores in 31 cities across the country: Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai, Alytus, Marijampolė, Kėdainiai, Telšiai, Kretinga, Mažeikiai, Tauragė, Jonava, Panevėžys, Ukmergė, Utena, Plungė, Palanga, Elektrėnai, Visaginas, Šilutė, Radviliškis, Vilkaviškis, Druskininkai, Rokiškis, Kaišiadorys, Nemenčinė, Gargždai, Molėtai, Jurbarkas, Raseiniai, and Garliava.
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