Amsterdam, 1 October 2021 (dpa/MIA) - German food discounter Lidl no longer sells cigarettes or tobacco in its more than 400 shops in the Netherlands. The move makes Lidl the first major chain to pre-empt a sales ban on tobacco products in supermarkets announced by the government. "Lidl is actively contributing to making a non-smoking generation possible," the company said. Lidl Nederland is supporting an initiative of several health organizations, whose aim is "to give children the chance to grow up smoke-free and to protect them from the harmful effects of passive smoking and the temptation to smoke." The government in The Hague praised the tobacco ban, which the company had already announced in 2018 and then gradually implemented in more and more branches. It is hoped that more supermarket chains will soon follow suit, said the country's state secretary for health, Paul Blokhuis, according to the Dutch news agency ANP. From 2024, tobacco products in the Netherlands may only be sold at petrol stations as well as in specialist shops, newsagents and other shops licensed for this purpose. From 2023, sales on the internet will also be banned.