Reindeer roasting on an open fire

What’s wrong with eating reindeer? Well, if you normally eat meat, then I’d argue, absolutely nothing. But not everyone agrees with me. The fact that Lidl are selling packs of the meat – with festive golden reindeer on the box – has upset a number of people; presumably because they associate it with a certain Christmas tune about a red-nosed version employed by Father Christmas.

But in reality, very little differentiates a loin of reindeer from a standard loin of venison – if anything. After all venison is, strictly speaking, the meat from any deer. So why not just label it ‘venison’? Selling it as ‘reindeer’ meat, rather than venison (or caribou, which is how it is sold in most British outlets, and in Canada), is simply a festive marketing ploy in the first place. That’s sort of what animal rights activists have been saying as well, with animal rights group Viva! describing the meat as a ‘sick novelty’.

The reindeer steaks on sale in Lidl.