Aldi has been identified as the biggest retail supporter of Scottish produce in NFU Scotland’s 2025-26 ShelfWatch 2025-26 annual report.
It showed that while some retailers demonstrate strong support for Scottish produce, on average only 26% of own-label products on supermarket shelves in Scotland are Scottish. For pork, the figure is just 5%.
Across 2025, NFU audited more than 80,000 own-label products, with a further 20,000 assessed in January 2026 alone. This analysis identified a lot of disparity between retailers’ stated commitments to local sourcing and Scottish farmers and crofters.
It showed that Aldi continues to champion Scottish produce with 65% Scottish products. Aldi’s Scottish pork sourcing was among the highest, at 41% and was the only retailer to list fresh primary Scottish pork. It was also was found to stock 100% Scottish potatoes, 100% Scottish eggs and 100% Scottish cream, and 82% Scottish chicken, while increasing its Scotch lamb offering by 43 percentage points, to 81%.
In terms of combined Scottish and UK sourcing, however, the Co-op has set the benchmark, ranking number one – with Scottish labelled products making up almost one in three of their products.
The survey also scrutinises retailers’ reliance on imports – with Co-op and Aldi stocking under 2% imported goods with Asda at 23% and Tesco at 16%.
By category
- Less than 5% of own-label pork was Scottish, with imports dominating the category.
- Nearly 80% of eggs audited were Scottish; Aldi, Co-op, and Lidl stocked 100% Scottish eggs.
- Over 80% of fresh milk was Scottish, with retail prices remaining steady despite falling farmgate prices.
- Scottish potatoes accounted for more than 50% of those audited, up 11% on last year, with Aldi achieving 100% Scottish sourcing.
- Lamb imports increased sharply.
- Mixed-origin labelling continues to cause confusion for shoppers.
Great pride
“Being recognised once again as Scotland’s leading supermarket for Scottish produce reflects our continuous progress, but we know there’s more to do. We remain committed to increasing the proportion of locally sourced products and working closely with Scottish suppliers to ensure our customers continue to enjoy the very best of Scotland.”
Aldi has 112 stores in Scotland and employs more than 3,600 people, and is the only UK supermarket with a dedicated Scottish Buying Department. It works with more than 90 Scottish suppliers and stocks over 450 Scottish products. In 2025, Aldi became Scotland’s second largest supermarket by volume, as confirmed by Worldpanel data.
Nicole Tallant, Co-op’s Director of Commercial, said: “Supporting UK agriculture is more important than ever for us, our members and customers. We’re proud to champion home grown and locally sourced products across our stores as part of our long term commitment to sourcing all our own-brand fresh and frozen meat, fresh milk and cream from British farms, and pleased that our sourcing of British grown produce.”
A ‘lens into real choices retailers make
NFU Scotland President Andrew Connon said: “We continue to value Aldi’s engagement and commitment to Scottish produce, we hope it sets the standard for others to follow. The 2025–26 ShelfWatch report shows strong results for Aldi, excelling in Scottish vegetables, potatoes and creams.
“ShelfWatch is more than a snapshot of supermarket shelves, it’s a lens into the real choices retailers make and the value they place on Scottish farmers and crofters.
“Where retailers like Aldi and Co-op lead, it proves high domestic sourcing is possible, even in a competitive market. But the gaps we still see in pork, lamb and processed lines show that many suppliers are not getting the recognition or returns they deserve.”
The findings reinforce NFU Scotland’s call for all retailers to adopt a Scottish-first approach, actively promote local produce, ensure fair pricing, deliver clear country-of-origin labelling, and end the co-mingling of Scottish and imported products.