Shelf Watch Reveals Less Than 20% of Supermarket Products Labelled as Scottish

Less than one in five own-brand food products on Scottish supermarket shelves are labelled as Scottish, according to a major new survey by NFU Scotland.

The union’s latest ‘shelf watch’ initiative analysed more than 15,000 products across over 290 stores belonging to eight leading supermarket chains: Aldi, Lidl, Asda, Tesco, Co-op, M&S Food, Morrisons, and Sainsbury’s. The findings show that only 17% of own-label goods were identified as Scottish—an outcome that NFU Scotland says shows “little to no improvement” on previous years.

Big Differences Between Retailers

Aldi emerged as the top performer, with 40% of its own-brand products labelled as Scottish. Lidl followed with 30%, while the Co-op recorded 22%. Morrisons and M&S Food came in at 19% and 18% respectively. At the lower end of the scale, Tesco featured 11% Scottish labelling, Asda just 10%, and Sainsbury’s only 8%.

Across all supermarkets, items such as eggs, beef, and milk were most likely to carry Scottish branding. However, categories like pork, cheese, butter, and yoghurt showed significantly lower levels of Scottish sourcing, despite many being labelled as British.

Rising Imports And Missed Economic Potential

The survey also noted a 6% increase in imported food on supermarket shelves during 2024, prompting fears about the future of domestic food production. Although 63% of own-label items were British, NFU Scotland says this often masks the lack of specific Scottish identification—posing a challenge for local producers looking to stand out.

NFU Scotland estimates that a modest 12% increase in the proportion of Scottish-sourced goods could generate an extra £500 million for the nation’s farmers, crofters, and growers.

Time For Supermarkets To Step Up

NFU Scotland is calling on retailers to take urgent action by adopting a ‘Scottish First’ sourcing approach, running campaigns to promote local produce, reforming labelling practices to ensure clear country-of-origin information, ending the co-mingling of Scottish and imported goods, and ensuring fair treatment and pricing for Scottish suppliers.

“Scottish farmers, crofters and growers produce high-quality food to world-leading standards. They deserve recognition and support from retailers,” the union said.

Despite strong consumer interest in local food, the latest figures suggest that Scottish producers remain underrepresented on supermarket shelves. With Aldi and Lidl leading the way, NFU Scotland argues there is significant room for improvement across the sector—and a major opportunity for supermarkets to support home-grown agriculture.