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STV News
22-04-2025
- Business
- STV News
Should Scots pay more for locally sourced produce at supermarkets?
Do we care how much of the food we buy comes from Scotland? According to the National Farmers Union for Scotland we do. Their figures suggest more than 70% of people would prefer to buy Scottish produce and would pay more to do so. But they say that demand isn't being met by supermarkets. Over the past year the union has been monitoring how many products are labelled as Scottish, and British at 8 major retailers as part of it's Shelf Watch campaign in a bid to increase local food in our retailers and get a better deal for local producers. Andrew Connon, the union's president, said: 'We were disappointed initially that only 17% of all brands looked at had Scottish branding on it 'But there's a big difference between retailers, in how much they stock, Aldi was the clear front runner followed by Lidl's but others did show an improvement over the year. 'If we could increase this average by another 12% that would equate to £500m more for Scottish producers and the wider farming supply chain.' Shelf Watch has been one of the union's largest surveys to date and looked at more than 15 000 own brand products at more than 290 stores across Scotland. The products most often labelled as from Scottish farms? Eggs, beef and milk. It found produce like pork cheese, butter and yoghurt whilst often British, were the least likely items to be from local suppliers. Farming leaders now want to see an increase in Scottish grown produce also for clearer labelling for consumers. Andrew added: 'We need to see proper source of origin, it's often difficult for consumers to see if something is imported that needs to change.' The Scottish Retail Consortium said supermarkets are one of the biggest advocates of clear product labelling, adding: 'This report clearly demonstrates the depth of support from the retail industry for Scotland's farmers despite the enormous economic and public pressures on the industry. 'Of course, different grocers will take bespoke approaches to the profile of products they source. 'Nonetheless, the strength of the hyper-competitive grocery market is consumers can choose whether to purchase Scottish or products from further afield; and retailers will respond to that commercial onus.' Today's figures also sparked debate on how much farmers get for their products, some argue that the percentage return is simply too low. Mike Davis is an arable farmer in Aberdeenshire and said the price wouldn't have to go up much to help give growers a better deal. He explained: 'I produce milling oats for oatmeal or porridge, the return is 0.6 pence on a 30-gram bowl, and it costs £175 to grow a tonne of oats. 'Basically, it means I make no money, we break even but there's no profit and you can't do that long term. 'If we increased the return, it by even 50% which sounds like a huge margin that's only 0.03 pence, so that would put up the price up by just over a penny. 'Realistically, I don't think that's unachievable for a Scottish produced product, 1p more isn't that much of a difference that's produced to a high standard locally.' The debate on food prices and local food production is due to continue at Westminster in June as part of the Food Supply Chain Fairness Bill. In Scotland, ministers here said: 'We have committed £10 million funding over 2023–2025 to support delivery of Scotland's food and drink strategy, 'Sustaining Scotland, Supplying the World'. 'This funding facilitates a range of activities and direct engagement with grocery retailers to help increase the volume of Scottish food and drink on retail shelves, including own brand products.' Both of these programmes have been welcomed by farmers, who say they'll continue to lobby for a fairer deal. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The National
22-04-2025
- Business
- The National
Supermarkets urged to put more Scottish produce on shelves
It comes as new research from the National Farmers Union (NFU) Scotland found farmers and crofters could be presented with a £500 million opportunity if the major retailers stocked more Scottish produce. The union's ShelfWatch initiative looked at the availability of Scottish produce on sale at Aldi, Asda, Co-op, Lidl, M&S Food, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Tesco. Image: ArchiveNFU Scotland conducted research over four phases throughout 2024 and early 2025. The results, released on Tuesday, revealed stark variations in Scottish sourcing, with just 17% of all own-label products from Scotland. Aldi was the clear front runner, leading the rankings in every phase of research with an overall average of 40%. READ MORE: 'Rise above party politics': Anas Sarwar urged to back Scottish visa scheme 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. £500m opportunity for farmers and crofters In response to this analysis, NFU Scotland has identified a potential £500m 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 to adopt a 'Scottish First' policy, prioritising Scottish produce across all commodities and reducing reliance on imports. They also call for the 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. Added to this is the proposal of new commitments to ensure fairness in the supply chain, a commitment to reforming labelling practices to ensure clearer on-pack country-of-origin labelling and to reforming labelling practices to ensure clearer on-pack country-of-origin labelling. READ MORE: Labour 'set to oversee highest child poverty levels ever,' Keir Starmer warned NFU Scotland president Andrew Connon said: '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'.
STV News
22-04-2025
- Business
- STV News
Supermarket research identifies £500m opportunity for farmers and crofters
New research into Scottish supermarkets has identified a £500m opportunity for farmers and crofters. National Farmers Union Scotland has now challenged the United Kingdom's largest retailers to work with the industry to increase the amount of Scottish produce on shelves. It comes as the union's ShelfWatch initiative showed a mixed picture in respect to sourcing levels. The initiative was aimed at monitoring the availability of Scottish produce on sale at Aldi, Asda, Co-op, Lidl, M&S Food, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Tesco. NFU Scotland conducted research over four phases throughout 2024 and early 2025. Results, released on Tuesday, revealed stark variations in Scottish sourcing, with just 17% of all own-label products from Scotland. 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. In response to this analysis, NFU Scotland has identified a potential £500m 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 to adopt a 'Scottish First' policy, prioritising Scottish produce across all commodities and reducing reliance on imports. They also call for the 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. Added to this is the proposal of new commitments to ensure fairness in the supply chain, a commitment to reforming labelling practices to ensure clearer on-pack country-of-origin labelling and to reforming labelling practices to ensure clearer on-pack country-of-origin labelling. 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'. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Press and Journal
22-04-2025
- Business
- Press and Journal
Which north and north-east supermarkets have most Scottish products?
A 12% increase in Scottish sourcing by the UK's biggest supermarkets could deliver a £500 million bonanza for farmers, crofters and growers north of the border, according to NFU Scotland (NFUS). The farmers' union is today publishing the findings of its latest ShelfWatch survey. Just 17% of food on sale in supermarkets across the country was labelled as Scottish. NFUS is now challenging grocers to work with the industry to increase the amount of home-grown or reared produce on their shelves. It is reporting a 'very mixed picture' in respect of sourcing levels across eight major retailers. The survey looked at Scottish produce availability at Aldi, Asda, the Co-op, Lidl, M&S Food, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Tesco in four phases during 2024 and early 2025. 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 the Co-op was third 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 UK-wide produce was strong with an average of 63% of own-label products being sourced in Britain. Scottish was the main objective of the initiative, but understanding UK produce is important too as some products labelled as British may be from north of the border. NFUS says its ShelfWatch survey team also recorded a 6% increase of imports in 2024. Outlining a £500m opportunity for Scottish farmers, crofters and growers, the union says it has written to all eight retailers setting out this challenge. And it has identified specific areas where it would like to see action: NFUS president Andrew Connon said: '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 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've set out.' Mr Connon added: '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.' The four phases of research covered own-brand products at more than 290 stores across seven regions, with in excess of 15,000 products examined during each phase.
