THE National Farmers Union (NFU) Scotland has called on retailers to commit to reforming labelling practices to ensure clearer on-pack country-of-origin labelling so consumers understand where their food come from.
The call follows the publication of the full year results of the trade union’s ShelfWatch initiative, which monitors the availability of Scottish produce on sale at Aldi, Asda, Co-op, Lidl, M&S, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, and Tesco.
Results revealed ‘stark variations’ in Scottish sourcing, with just 17% of all own-label products being from Scotland. Aldi 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. Although Scottish was the main objective of the initiative, the NFU Scotland explained that understanding UK produce is important given that some products labelled as British could have also been produced in Scotland. While this support for domestic sourcing is promising, ShelfWatch also recorded a 6% increase of imports in 2024, which has concerned NFU Scotland.
In response to this analysis, NFU Scotland revealed it has identified a potential £500 million opportunity for Scottish farmers, crofters and growers if levels of Scottish sourcing was 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 the following 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 commented, “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. 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.
“Overall, these results show a disappointing level of Scottish sourcing with around 17% of own-label products labelled as Scottish and no real improvement throughout the year. That said, the picture is very mixed across each of the retailers. 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.
“Through this work, we have identified the key areas for action and commitment retailers. NFU Scotland, along with other industry partners, stand ready to work in partnership to support this. If we get it right, the results could be transformational for our farmers, crofters and growers. Of course, none of this will happen in isolation and we need to see effective government policy that supports a vibrant farming industry and enables our members to have the confidence to invest for the future.”
