ALDI have topped the table in supporting Scotland’s meat producers, as the results from NFU Scotland’s most recent 'shelf watch' exercise have revealed that not only does the retail chain stock 100% British beef, but 96% of it is Scotch Beef PGI.

NFUS staff and members visited all the major supermarkets over the course of a two-week period, gathering information on the origin of the meat on offer.

ALDI received further praise for its domestic sourcing after the survey revealed the retailer does not sell any imported beef, compared with ASDA which was found to import 28% of their meat in the sample of stores visited.

In this year of the 25th anniversary of ALDI opening its first store in Scotland, it is now the sixth largest supermarket in the country, with a 6.9% share of the Scottish grocery market.

Group buying director for ALDI Scotland, Graham Nicolson, commented: “We are absolutely committed to supporting Scottish farmers and I’m very proud that ALDI has been recognised as the strongest supporter of Scotch Beef ahead of every other supermarket. This means consumers can be confident that when they buy beef from ALDI, they are directly supporting Scottish farmers and are enjoying only the highest quality produce,” he enthused.

“ALDI continues to lead the way with local sourcing, and we are immensely proud of our strong relationships with local suppliers and of our reputation for having the best quality Scottish products available on our shelves.”

2019 also marks 10 years since ALDI created its dedicated Scottish Buying Department which has enabled ALDI to tap into Scotland’s vibrant agricultural and manufacturing base and build strong and long-standing relationships.

The buying team has grown from four to 25 members of staff, all of whom are committed to increasing the number of Scottish products available in stores to over 450 by the end of 2020 and bring the best of Scotland’s larder to its customers.