NFU Scotland has challenged the UK’s biggest retailers to work with the industry to increase the proportion of Scottish produce on shelves, after the union’s ShelfWatch initiative found less than 20% of food on sale was labelled as Scottish.
The full-year results for the ShelfWatch initiative showed a very mixed picture in respect of sourcing levels across the eight major retailers surveyed – Aldi, Asda, Co-op, Lidl, M&S Food, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco. The survey was conducted research over four phases throughout 2024 and early 2025.
The results showed just 17% of all own-label products were from Scotland. Aldi was the clear front runner, leading the rankings in every phase of research with an overall average of 40%. In second place was Lidl with a 30% average and Co-op in 3rd with 22%. Meanwhile, M&S Food had the biggest, albeit modest, improvement across the year in its support for Scottish produce.
More generally, support for British produce was strong with an average of 63% of own-label products being sourced within the UK. However, while this support for domestic sourcing is promising, ShelfWatch also recorded a 6% increase of imports in 2024, which has concerned NFU Scotland.
But Shelf Watch found poor support for Scottish pork, just 4%, across all surveyed retailers. Aldi was the only supermarket to stock a significant proportion of Scottish pork at 41%. Lidl stocked some Scottish pork (primarily in the form of bacon and sausages), resulting in an average of 13%.
In terms of British pork, Co-op and M&S Food led the way by stocking 100% British pork.
£500m opportunity
In response to the survey, NFU Scotland has identified a potential £500m opportunity for Scottish farmers, crofters and growers if levels of Scottish sourcing were increased by just 12% in the coming years. To achieve this, NFU Scotland has written to all eight retailers setting out this challenge and outlining some specific areas where the Union would like to see action:
- Sourcing: Adopt a ‘Scottish First’ policy, prioritising Scottish produce across all commodities and reducing reliance on imports.
- Promotion: Development of a programme of promotional campaigns and activity to champion Scottish produce in stores and online, including the creation of a ‘Scottish Shop’ for online customers and supporting industry initiatives.
- Fairness: New commitments to ensure fairness in the supply chain and specifically, to end the practice of excessive discounting which undermines the value of food, along with commitments to ensure pricing reflects the true cost of production.
- Labelling: Commit to reforming labelling practices to ensure clearer on-pack country-of-origin labelling so that consumers understand where their food comes from.
- In-Store Branding: End the co-mingling of Scottish and imported products, through transparent and clear signage and in-store branding.
NFU Scotland President Andrew Connon said the results showed a ‘disappointing level of Scottish sourcing’, with no real improvement throughout the year.
“ShelfWatch has delivered vital insight. Our clear message to retailers is that by working together, we have a golden opportunity to support Scotland’s farmers and crofters as well as giving their customers more of what they want,” he said.
“We know that the value of grocery sales across Scotland is significant and we believe Scottish farmers and crofters could get a greater share of this value if retailers work with us and the wider industry to take forward the actions we set today.
“I’d like to congratulate Aldi in particular, who consistently held the highest levels of Scottish sourcing throughout the year, and also to Lidl for their ongoing commitment.
“What this data shows us is the huge opportunities that exist for Scottish Agriculture if the right actions and decisions are made. NFU Scotland will be relentless in pursuing these for the betterment of our members and wider industry”.