A leading discount supermarket in Germany is taking a stand against the hidden environmental and health costs of food production. Penny, a chain with 2,150 branches across the country, is raising the prices of nine products for a week-long experiment to reflect their true cost.

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The “wahre Kosten” or “real costs” campaign is being conducted in conjunction with academics from the Nuremberg Institute of Technology and the University of Greifswald. The range of products includes dairy, meat, and vegan meat replacements, with the most significant price increases being seen in wiener sausages (up from €3.19 to €6.01), mozzarella (up 74% to €1.55), and maasdamer cheese (up 94% to €4.84).

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The scientists calculated the hidden costs of these products, such as climate-harming emissions, damage to the soil from intensive farming, the effect of pesticides, and pollution of groundwater through the use of fertiliser.

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Penny’s chief operating officer, Stefan Görges, said: “We wish to create an awareness around the hidden environmental costs of groceries. We need to put out the uncomfortable message that the prices of our foodstuffs which are accrued along the supply chain in no way reflect the environmental on-costs.”

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The discounter has said it will donate the excess proceeds it makes from the sales to the charity Zukunftsbauer or Future Farmer, which supports family-run farms in Alpine regions.

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Dr Amelie Michalke, an industrial engineer and sustainability expert from the University of Greifswald, said the experiment had been limited to a smaller range of products for which it had been possible to make realistic calculations. “We hope this will give us a strong impulse to discuss and consider prices for groceries in a way that is user-friendly and fair,” she said.

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Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/31/german-supermarket-penny-trial-climate-cost-food-meat-cheese