Aldi and Lidl accused of selling seafood at a loss

Supermarket chains Aldi and Lidl are well known for selling low-cost products, but now they are in the spotlight for going too far, according to Het Nieuwsblad.

The Belgian union for entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises, Unizo, the supermarket and specialist shop organisation Buurtsuper.be and the Federation of Fishmongers have lodged a joint complaint with Belgium’s economic inspectorate against what they call the supermarkets’ "deceptive practices".

They are also calling for an investigation into the legal ban on selling at a loss. They say that it is not acceptable to sell mussels for only €2 or €3 per kilo.

In addition, they want checks carried out to ensure that the supermarket chains have not engaged in practices designed to entice customers to buy products very difficult to get hold of.

In other words, the campaign groups say that Lidl and Aldi will mass promote a range so limited that interested customers do not even get a chance to buy them.

Het Laatste Nieuws said that no one at Lidl could be reached for comment and that Aldi denies that it has been selling at a loss.