Lidl
Open Food Facts brand roll-up for Lidl, current as of September 2026. Screening averages and flag shares live in the short-answer band below. This hero only situates the catalog slice.
The short answer
Lidl averages 98.7/100 across the 167 of 1,199 tracked products that carry an ingredient list, and 9.6% of those contain at least one separately flagged ingredient. The figure summarizes Open Food Facts labels cross-referenced with FDA SAFFA and CSPI; it does not establish recall status, allergy suitability, or the composition of products outside this snapshot.
- 98.7/100
- average ingredient-screening score across 167 scored products
- 1,199
- tracked products in this brand roll-up
- 9.6%
- scored products with at least one flagged ingredient
- 66%
- of NOVA-classified products that are ultra-processed (Group 4)
Source snapshot current as of September 2026; open individual products before making a product-specific decision.
Portfolio reading
Use the distribution, then open the outliers
With 1,199 tracked products, the useful signal is the shape of the portfolio rather than one headline score. The current concern-sorted list begins Energy Drink (Freeway); Whey Chocolate; Ultra thin slices black forest ham; 9.6% of records contain at least one flagged ingredient while the overall mean is 98.7/100. Open those outliers first, then compare neighboring formulations. The aggregate does not establish recall status, allergen suitability, or the composition of an item outside this snapshot.
Catalog evidence
Ingredient-list coverage comes before the score
Only 167 of 1,199 tracked Lidl records (13.9%) include an ingredient list. The remaining 1,032 cannot be screened, so the 98.7/100 mean describes the labelled subset rather than the whole brand.
Next check: use the product rows below to verify the labelled subset, then compare the current package for any unscored item.
What the Data Says About Lidl
Lidl: 1,199 products tracked, 167 with an ingredient list, avg safety score 98.7/100, 9.6% of those scored products has at least one flagged ingredient.
Because ingredient lists cover only 13.9% of tracked records, this average is a description of the labelled subset, not a brand-wide tier. The coverage gap is the dominant limitation. Scoring methodology + dye-pledge context →
Among the 804 brands with 50+ products (the typical brand in that group flags 18% of its catalog), Lidl's 9.6% flagged share is 8.4 points below that cohort median.
Processing mix (NOVA)
Lidl processing intensity
Lidl's NOVA-classified set is 147 products: 66% ultra-processed (Group 4, 97 items) with Group 4 (ultra-processed) largest at 97. That ultra-processed share sits 12.3 points below the 78.3% median for 1,323 brands with 50+ products. NOVA is processing intensity, not additive safety.
Shelf mix
Where Lidl shows up in Open Food Facts
In Open Food Facts shelf labels, Lidl concentrates in Plant-based foods and beverages (92, 49% of this top-five); Snacks (28); Condiments (26); Dairies (24); Meats and their products (16).
Average score by leading shelf label
| Shelf | Scored n | Avg | Flagged |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plant-based foods and beverages | 39 | 99.5/100 | 5.1% |
| Condiments | 15 | 100/100 | 0% |
| Snacks | 14 | 100/100 | 0% |
| Dairies | 10 | 99.5/100 | 10% |
| Meats and their products | 8 | 97.5/100 | 12.5% |
Cohort context
Flagged-ingredient share among large brands
Lidl's 9.6% flagged share is measured across 167 scored products. The chart places that rate against the 50 brands with 50+ scored products in this snapshot, the same qualifying cohort used on the rankings page.
Lidl flagged share vs large-brand cohort
9.6% of scored products carry at least one flagged ingredient
10% 0th percentile is at or above the flagged share of 0% of the 50 qualifying brands we track
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more qualifying brands. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Distribution as text
- 0%–10%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 10%–20%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 20%–30%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 30%–40%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 40%–50%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 50%–60%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 60%–70%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 70%–80%
- 3 qualifying brands (6%)
- 80%–90%
- 25 qualifying brands (50%)
- 90% and above
- 22 qualifying brands (44%)
Source Open Food Facts × FDA SAFFA × CSPI · September 2026
Portfolio shape
How scores cluster inside this brand
The brand average (98.7/100) summarizes 167 scored products. This distribution shows whether that mean sits on a tight cluster or a wide spread, a few low-scoring SKUs can matter even when the headline average looks strong.
Lidl product score distribution
Brand average 98.7/100 across 167 scored products
99 7th percentile sits above 7% of the 167 scored products we track
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more scored products. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Distribution as text
- 60–70
- 1 scored products (1%)
- 70–80
- 2 scored products (1%)
- 80–90
- 5 scored products (3%)
- 90–100
- 8 scored products (5%)
- 100 and above
- 151 scored products (90%)
Source Open Food Facts product labels × FDA SAFFA × CSPI · September 2026
Lidl relies most on Caramel Coloring, an industry staple
Across the 167 Lidl products scored here, Caramel Coloring appears in 7. It is used by 3,551 other brands in this database (10.1% of them), so its presence says more about the category than about this brand. A flag records that a named source raised a concern about an ingredient. It is not a finding that a product is unsafe to eat.
| Flagged ingredient | Lidl products | Why it is flagged |
|---|---|---|
| Caramel Coloring | 7 | Restricted: California (Prop 65 warning for 4-MEI) |
| Carrageenan | 4 | Concern recorded by a review body; no ban cited |
| Sucralose | 3 | Concern recorded by a review body; no ban cited |
| Acesulfame Potassium | 2 | Concern recorded by a review body; no ban cited |
| Aspartame | 2 | Concern recorded by a review body; no ban cited |
| Sodium Nitrite | 2 | Preservative with a recorded concern |
| Polysorbate 80 | 1 | Concern recorded by a review body; no ban cited |
| Trans Fat | 1 | FDA ban effective 2018-06-18 · Restricted: Federal (FDA banned) |
Counts are products in this database whose ingredient list names the flagged ingredient. Flags come from FDA enforcement actions, CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings and US state ingredient laws; see the methodology for how each source is applied.
Visible product sample
Label complexity does not determine the screening result
Each point is one of the 50 concern-sorted Lidl records shown below. Horizontal position is the number of resolved ingredients on that product's stored label; vertical position is its source-derived screening score. The dashed medians (11 ingredients and 100/100) divide this displayed sample only. A longer label is not automatically worse: open a specific product to inspect its flagged rows and source coverage.
- Shown records
- 50
- Median label
- 11 ingredients
- Median score
- 100/100
The outlined point is Energy Drink (Freeway), the displayed record with the most flagged ingredients (3). Bubble size represents flagged ingredient count plus one, so zero-flagged products remain visible. The score is derived from FDA SAFFA and CSPI fields; this chart does not establish recall status, dietary suitability, or a health outcome.
Read the plotted values
- Energy Drink (Freeway): 13 resolved ingredients, 65/100, 3 flagged.
- Whey Chocolate: 13 resolved ingredients, 70/100, 2 flagged.
- Ultra thin slices black forest ham: 11 resolved ingredients, 80/100, 2 flagged.
- diet COLA: 8 resolved ingredients, 80/100, 2 flagged.
- Butter Pecan Ice Cream: 15 resolved ingredients, 90/100, 2 flagged.
- fruit flavored snacks: 20 resolved ingredients, 75/100, 1 flagged.
- Real Bacon Bits: 11 resolved ingredients, 85/100, 1 flagged.
- Freshly Squeezed Limeade - Still: 8 resolved ingredients, 85/100, 1 flagged.
- Arctic Cherry Limeade: 21 resolved ingredients, 85/100, 1 flagged.
- Biscotte naturel avec encoche: 15 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Organic Beef Broth: 7 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Extra Creamy Dairy Whipped Topping: 9 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Dairy Whipped Topping: 12 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Brown Gravy Mix from Lidl: 17 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Chicken Tortellini: 35 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Crispy golden popcorn chicken: 19 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- biscuit: 19 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- BURGER MEAT POLLO: 7 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Feine Schokoladenfiguren Vollmilch: 10 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Zonne Bloempit: 18 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Muesli crunchy aveia & coco: 18 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Family Cappuccino Chocolate: 8 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Kosher Dill Spears: 12 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Mozarella cheese: 4 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Blue corn tortilla chips: 4 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Vitamin D Whole Milk: 2 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Original Pancake & Waffle Mix by LIDL: 19 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Albóndigas pollo y pavo: 20 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Olive oil: 4 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce: 16 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Spicy brown mustard: 5 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Pineapple salsa: 15 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Vitamin D Whole Milk: 2 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Original Cocktail Sauce, Original Cocktail: 11 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Tomatoes diced: 5 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Tomato paste: 2 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Original Fresh Bratwurst: 7 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Iodized Salt: 5 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Turkey Burger: 9 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Original Hummus: 10 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Jamon serrano (dry cured ham): 2 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Honey Wheat Breas: 28 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Hamburger buns: 39 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Salsa mild by LIDL: 19 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Maple syrup: 1 resolved ingredient, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Flour tortillas: 24 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- mini marshmallows: 8 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Zesty Italian Dressing: 17 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Sweet Cream Butter: 2 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Oat Hoops: 14 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
Products by Lidl
Showing 50 display-quality records, sorted by concern level (most flagged first); 1,149 tracked records with unusable upstream names remain in the aggregate but are not shown.
Nationwide brands with similar catalog profiles
Two PlainFoodSafe-derived peer sets for Lidl: closest on tracked product count (1,199 here) and closest on average ingredient screening score (98.7/100 here). Rows stay link-disjoint so each axis is a distinct neighborhood, not a largest-catalog strip.
Similar product count
Nearest other brands by Open Food Facts product count (floored at ≥50).
Similar average screening score
Nearest other brands by average ingredient screening score (floored at ≥50 scored products), distinct from the count row.
Counts and averages from Open Food Facts labels screened against FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine; neither axis is a health outcome.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lidl food safe? ▼
Lidl has an average safety score of 99/100 across the 167 of 1199 tracked products that carry an ingredient list. 9.6% of those contain flagged ingredients.
How many Lidl products are tracked? ▼
Our database tracks 1,199 Lidl products. 167 include an ingredient list and can be screened against FDA SAFFA and CSPI data; 1,032 cannot be scored from this snapshot.
How processed is the Lidl catalog? ▼
Lidl has 147 NOVA-classified products; 66% are ultra-processed (Group 4, 97 items) and Group 4 is the largest slice. NOVA describes processing intensity, not whether additives on a label are flagged.
Which shelves dominate the Lidl catalog? ▼
In Open Food Facts shelf labels, Lidl concentrates in Plant-based foods and beverages (92, 49% of this top-five); Snacks (28); Condiments (26); Dairies (24); Meats and their products (16).
Does Lidl use artificial dyes? ▼
Open the individual product pages below to see which Lidl items list a synthetic dye on their label. For whether the company has committed to removing dyes, the FDA and CSPI both publish corporate-commitment trackers; we no longer restate those commitments here.
What to do with this Lidl profile
Use this roll-up as orientation, then verify the specific package you hold against its ingredient panel and the named official sources.
- Start with Energy Drink (Freeway), the displayed product with the most flagged ingredients (3) in this sample. Open the outlier product
- Caramel Coloring appears in 7 scored Lidl products, review why each source flags it before treating the brand average as uniform. Review flagged ingredient counts
- Compare Lidl's 98.7/100 average and 9.6% flagged share against other brands before treating either figure as a recall or clearance signal. Brand safety rankings
- Cross-check any additive concern against FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine rather than relying on this derived index alone. Scoring methodology
A flagged ingredient records a source concern, not a recall, ban, or medical clearance. Always verify the current package label and consult official sources for product-specific decisions.
Citation & disclaimer notes
Brand scores aggregate ingredient-level FDA SAFFA + CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings across Open Food Facts product data. See our methodology. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFoodSafe.Disclaimer: Informational purposes only; not professional advice. A flagged ingredient is not a recall or a ban. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Every figure on PlainFoodSafe is rendered directly from OpenFoodFacts and FDA data, no number is typed in by an editor. Brand figures are computed directly from OpenFoodFacts and FDA data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2026.
