The supermarkets that stock the most Scottish-produced food, from best to worst - Aldi, Lidl, Asda, Tesco

Results from a year-long “shelf watch” initiative across eight major retailers has shown less than a fifth of food on their shelves in the country is from Scotland.

The project was carried out by the National Farmers Union Scotland (NFU Scotland).

The organisation aimed to monitor the availability of Scottish produce on sale at eight major supermarkets - Aldi, Asda, Co-op, Lidl, M&S Food, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco.

The initiative ran over four phases throughout last year and early this year.

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The final phase of the project revealed the major retailers north of the Border stock just 17 per cent of all own-label products from Scotland.

The UK’s major supermarkets are set to reveal whether shoppers splurged this Christmas or reined in spending, after discounters Aldi and Lidl reported record festive sales. (Photo by Aaron Chown/PA Wire) | Aaron Chown/PA Wire

Aldi came out on top, stocking the highest percentage of Scottish produce, leading the rankings in every phase of research with an overall average of 40 per cent.

In second place was Lidl with a 30 per cent average. The Co-op came in third place with 22 per cent.

Meanwhile, M&S Food had the biggest, albeit modest, improvement across the year in its support for Scottish produce.

Sainsbury’s was the lowest rated supermarket, stocking just 8 per cent of Scottish produce on average, followed by Asda (10 per cent) and Tesco (11 per cent).

More generally, support for British produce was strong, with an average of 63 per cent of own-label products being sourced within the UK.

Although Scottish was the main objective of the initiative, understanding UK produce is important given some products labelled as British could have also been produced in Scotland, the NFU Scotland said.

The union said while this support for domestic sourcing is promising, it was concerned to see ShelfWatch also recorded a 6 per cent increase of imports in 2024.

In response to the findings, the NFU Scotland said it had identified a potential £500 million opportunity for Scottish farmers, crofters and growers if levels of Scottish sourcing were increased by just 12 per cent in the coming years.

The union has since written to the major retailers, calling on them to consider the following actions: adopt a ‘Scottish First’ policy, prioritising Scottish produce across all commodities; develop a programme of promotional campaigns to champion Scottish produce; and show commitments to ensure fairness in the supply chain.

There was also a specific request to end the practice of excessive discounting; commit to reforming labelling practices to ensure clearer on-pack country-of-origin labelling so that consumers understand where their food comes from; and end the co-mingling of Scottish and imported products, through transparent and clear signage and in-store branding.

NFU Scotland president Andrew Connon said: “Overall, these results show a disappointing level of Scottish sourcing, with around 17 per cent of own-label products labelled as Scottish and no real improvement throughout the year.

NFU Scotland president Andrew Connon | NFU Scotland

“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”.

The four phases of research covered own-brand products at over 290 stores across seven regions, with over 15,000 products examined in each phase. While Scottish was the main objective of this data, the Union also captured wider British (non-Scottish) souring as well as imported produce.

Aldi, 40%

Lidl, 30%

Co-op, 22%

Morrisons, 19%

M&S Food, 18%

Tesco, 11%

Asda, 10%

Sainsbury’s, 8%