Aldi Sets Benchmark For Scottish Produce In Major Retail Audit

Aldi has emerged as the leading supermarket supporter of Scottish producers, with its own-label fresh produce sourced from Scotland at more than twice the national retail average, new figures from NFU Scotland’s ShelfWatch 2025-26 report reveal.

The annual audit — which examined over 20,000 own-label products across 78 stores for major UK retailers including Aldi, Lidl, Co-op, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s — found that 65 per cent of Aldi’s fresh own-brand lines sold in Scotland were of Scottish origin. By contrast, the overall average for all supermarkets was just 26 per cent, underlining the retailer’s standout performance in championing local sourcing.

Aldi was particularly strong in core everyday categories: it stocked 100 per cent Scottish potatoes, eggs and cream, and recorded 82 per cent Scottish chicken. Notably, it also achieved one of the highest levels of Scottish pork sourcing among the supermarkets at 41 per cent, and was the only major retailer found to stock fresh primary Scottish pork — a boost for producers in the sector facing persistent margin pressures.

The Lidl and Co-op also registered notable domestic sourcing, although no other retailer matched Aldi’s share for Scottish-labelled products. The report highlighted a wider industry backdrop in which food security, transparent country-of-origin labelling and the resilience of domestic supply chains remain centre stage for farmers and policymakers alike.

Aldi Scotland’s buying director, Alan Leslie, said the results reflected the retailer’s long-term investment in Scottish supply chains. He noted that Aldi’s dedicated Scottish buying team has been collaborating with local producers since 2009 and reaffirmed the company’s commitment to increasing locally sourced products and strengthening supplier relationships.

NFU Scotland president Andrew Connon welcomed the findings, saying they highlighted “what can be achieved through active retail engagement with domestic producers” and hoped the results would help set a higher benchmark for the wider sector. He also pointed to strong performances in vegetables, potatoes and dairy, and continued leadership in Scotch lamb and Scottish pork.

With ongoing scrutiny on how supermarkets balance pricing, availability and long-term support for UK producers, the ShelfWatch report is likely to reinforce calls for clearer sourcing policies and increased retailer commitment to strengthening domestic food production.

Read the full report.