Scottish produce gains ground as supermarkets step up sourcing

Scottish food is taking a bigger share of supermarket shelves, with major retailers increasing home-grown sourcing, introducing new lines and giving Scottish produce greater prominence.

The changes follow continued engagement through NFU Scotland’s ShelfWatch campaign, which monitors the sourcing, visibility and labelling of Scottish, British and imported produce across major supermarkets.

Recent audits show progress across several key categories. More than 80% of fresh milk sold in Scottish stores is labelled Scottish, while Scottish egg sourcing is approaching 75%.

Aldi is among the strongest performers, sourcing 100% Scottish potatoes, eggs, milk and cream. Tesco has also increased its Scottish potato sourcing by 15%, while Lidl leads on Scottish chicken, with more than 91% sourced from Scotland.

The wider picture for domestic sourcing remains strong, with all retailers continuing to source 100% British fresh chicken. Progress has also been recorded across soft fruit, eggs, pork and red meat, with M&S recently overtaking Co-op to lead at 98%.

Retailers are also creating new opportunities for Scottish suppliers. Asda has introduced more than 200 Scottish product lines and increased its promotion of Scottish produce, while Morrisons is trialling Scottish-first merchandising.

Tesco has introduced Scottish-labelled pork, while Aldi has agreed a three-year extension with Browns Group to continue supporting Scotch Prime Pork.

NFU Scotland believes the changes show ShelfWatch is beginning to influence not only what retailers stock, but how supermarkets assess their own performance on Scottish sourcing.

NFU Scotland President Andrew Connon said: “ShelfWatch is proving that constructive engagement works. Retailers know we are measuring performance, publishing results and recognising progress. That is changing conversations and, importantly, changing what is appearing on supermarket shelves.”

The campaign has also become a regular part of NFU Scotland’s discussions with supermarket groups. Connon said the organisation had met six of the UK’s eight largest retailers over the past month, with ShelfWatch raised in every conversation.

One retailer, he said, told NFU Scotland: “We’re sixth in your league table, and we need to climb that table.”

Connon added: “That shows retailers are listening and recognise that shoppers increasingly value Scottish produce.”

Despite the progress, NFU Scotland says there is still more to do, particularly in making Scottish food easier for shoppers to identify and ensuring it is given strong visibility in stores.

“The direction of travel is positive, but there is more to do. Scottish farmers produce world-class food and we know provenance matters to many shoppers,” Connon said.

“We want consumers who choose to buy Scottish to be able to identify those products easily, with clear labelling and good visibility in stores.”

For NFU Scotland, however, increasing the amount of Scottish produce on shelves is only part of the challenge. ShelfWatch also monitors retail prices, with the union arguing that stronger domestic sourcing must be supported by a fair and sustainable supply chain.

It has highlighted concerns that measures such as food price caps or excessive discounting could place additional pressure further down the supply chain, affecting the returns available to farmers and crofters.

Connon said NFU Scotland would “continue to make the case for a fair and sustainable supply chain that enables Scotland’s farmers and crofters to invest, remain competitive and continue producing high-quality food for the future.”

That push for greater visibility also reflects consumer sentiment. According to NFU Scotland, 71% of Scottish shoppers are more likely to purchase products displaying the Saltire.

The union says ShelfWatch will continue working with retailers to make Scottish produce easier for consumers to identify and choose, while pressing for greater prominence, fair pricing and clearer country-of-origin labelling.

ShelfWatch has independently audited more than 95,000 own-label products across four audit periods involving eight major UK retailers, covering categories including meat, dairy and fresh produce.

Its findings are being used in discussions with retailers to encourage Scottish-first sourcing where supply is available, improve the prominence of Scottish produce, promote fair pricing and clearer labelling, and address the co-mingling of Scottish and imported products.