Scottish food on supermarket shelves increases but farmers warn over price cap plans

An audit by NFU Scotland found that 26 per cent of supermarket own-label products surveyed were sourced from Scotland, up from 19 per cent at the same point last year. When produce from elsewhere in Britain is included, the proportion rises to 89 per cent.

Every retailer surveyed increased its Scottish sourcing, with Aldi recording the strongest performance. The discount supermarket sourced 68 per cent of its own-label products from Scotland, an increase of just over a quarter year on year, according to the latest NFU Scotland ShelfWatch findings.

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Lidl followed with 51 per cent, while the Co-op and Marks & Spencer both sourced about 30 per cent of their own-label products from Scotland. Tesco’s figure rose to 23 per cent.

The audit found improvements across several key food categories, including chicken, soft fruit, vegetables and fresh pork. Milk and eggs continued to have particularly high levels of Scottish sourcing.

The union said the findings show that retailers can play a significant role in supporting domestic agriculture through their purchasing decisions.

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However, NFU Scotland warned that the gains could be reversed by government policies intended to lower the cost of food, particularly under proposals to cap the prices of essential items. In September, the Scottish Government launched a consultation on introducing statutory price caps for essential food items including milk and bread.

Andrew Connon, the NFU Scotland president, said that a resilient food supply depended on maintaining a viable market for farmers and crofters.

“The latest ShelfWatch figures show that domestic sourcing is holding up, with some really positive examples of retailers increasing their support for Scottish farmers and crofters,” he said.

“This matters because a resilient food supply starts with a resilient primary production sector. Farmers and crofters need a viable market for the food they produce, and retailers have a hugely important role to play in maintaining and strengthening domestic supply chains.”

The NFU Scotland said it is concerned that recent proposals for price caps could put pressure on supermarkets to meet fixed selling prices, encouraging them to choose cheaper imported food over Scottish produce.

Mr Connon said: “Proposed food price caps could create additional commercial pressure on retailers, making cheaper imported food more attractive and potentially displacing Scottish produce from our own supermarket shelves.

“Any pressure created at the retail end of the supply chain risks being passed back through processors and suppliers to the primary producer, putting further pressure on the businesses already carrying the cost of producing our food. Efforts to improve food affordability must not come at the expense of the farmers and crofters producing that food.”

The debate comes amid wider concerns about the conditions under which imported food is produced. NFU Scotland said that Scottish farmers could be left competing on unequal terms if they were required to meet higher production standards than overseas suppliers whose products could be sold more cheaply.

The union also called for clearer country-of-origin labelling, arguing that consumers should be able to identify where their food comes from and make informed purchasing decisions.

It said although the ShelfWatch findings point to progress in supermarket sourcing and labelling commitments, there is generally far less transparency in the food service and out-of-home sector, including restaurants and catering businesses and that consumers often have limited information about whether the food they are served has been produced in Scotland.