Tesco has become the latest UK retailer to launch a ‘Best of British’ section on its website, making it easier, it said, for its customers to ‘shop the best British grown and produced food, and support British farmers and producers in the process’.
Tesco, the UK’s biggest retailer and, it says, British agriculture’s biggest customer, said the site will bring together more than 500 British products, including hundreds of locally produced items.
It becomes the seventh major retailers to launch British sections since a campaign was launched last year by Conservative MP Luke Evans. Morrisons was the first to move followed by Sainsbury’s, Aldi and, last month, Ocado Retail, Waitrose and Co-op. Asda is the last major retailer yet to commit.
Latest support
Tesco said its Best of British page was the latest in a series of steps bit had taken to ‘support its dedicated British farmers, producers and growers’, including support in the wake of recent inflationary challenges and difficult weather conditions. Over the course of the last year, Tesco has provided additional support in the region of £75 million for its beef, lamb, pork, chicken and egg farmers, it said.
Ashwin Prasad, Tesco’s Chief Commercial Officer said: “Our customers share our love for British produce, and we want to do all we can to make it as easy to find as possible, no matter how they shop with us, so we’re thrilled to be launching our Best of British page on our groceries website, bringing together over 500 hundred quality, affordable British products to choose from.”
Dr Evans wrote an open letter to the chief executives of eight major supermarkets asking for a filter which would direct shoppers to homegrown food to help boost the economy and cut the UK’s carbon footprint. The letter was was co-signed by 125 cross-party MPs, and echoed a long-standing NFU ask dating back to 2016.
He said: “I’m pleased to welcome Tesco to the fray. It’s great to see the UK’s largest supermarket join other major retailers in implementing an online ‘Buy British’ section which will support our farmers and give consumers greater choice.
“This is really welcome news and a step forward in supporting our nation’s food growers and producers by showcasing over 500 homegrown items, with everything from meat and vegetables to dairy products now easier to find on the ‘Best of British’ tab.”