Lidl has announced it will stop displaying cartoon characters on its own-brand cereal ranges in the UK to help parents tackle pester power and encourage healthier choices in the supermarket aisles.
The initiative is in response to nearly three-quarters of parents saying they experience pester power from their children in the supermarket aisles, with over half of them claiming that the cartoon packagings encouraged this.
The cartoon packaging will be removed from Lidl’s Crownfield cereals from spring 2020.
“We want to help parents across Britain make healthy and informed choices about the food they buy for their children,” Lidl head of corporate social responsibility Georgina Hall said.
“We know pester power can cause difficult battles on the shop floor and we’re hoping that removing cartoon characters from cereal packaging will alleviate some of the pressure parents are under.
“This latest move underpins our commitment to making good food accessible for everyone and helping customers lead healthier lives.”
The removal of the packaging follows Lidl’s existing work. In 2015, the German discounter became the first supermarket to remove sweets and chocolates from checkouts nationwide.
Sara Samedzade-Jagini, Consumer Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers her view on the announcement: “Lidl’s decision to strip their packaging off colourful mascots will help eliminate ‘pester power’ and let parents focus on products that are good for their children.’’
“According to GlobalData’s 2019 Q3 consumer survey, 54% of UK consumers pay high/very high attention to the ingredients used in the products they buy for their children. Therefore, Lidl eliminating marketing gimmicks and bring the attention back to nutrition value and wellbeing will help the parents focus on what is important.’’
“The move came following mounting pressure from the ministers threatening to ban any products featuring child friendly cartoon characters on products high in sugar, salt or fat. Even though the move was necessary to keep the effected own-brand cereals on the shelves, it will help the brands image.”
