Berlin Retailers Enhance Security for Meat and Fish Amid Rising Theft Rates

Berlin retailers are adapting their security measures as theft incidents have increasingly affected meat and fish products, in addition to the usual targets like cosmetics and coffee.

Some stores, including the Lidl supermarket chain, are now using yellow labels on refrigerated items such as beef, fish, and sushi. These labels read: "Protected Product - Remove Label Before Heating." This initiative is part of broader security strategies employed in the retail sector, according to a spokesperson for Lidl, as reported by the "Bild" newspaper.

The spokesperson stated, "We implement standard practices to deter theft, which are common across retail stores in Germany," but did not provide specific reasons for the focus on beef or further details on security measures.

Recent statistics reveal that over 400,000 theft incidents occurred in German retail stores last year, leading to total losses of approximately 3 billion euros. While these figures show a decline compared to 2023, they are still higher than in previous years. Experts estimate that about 100,000 thefts go undetected each day.