Aldi comes out on top of NFU Scotland chicken shelf watch survey

Aldi has come out on top in NFU Scotland’s most recent ‘shelf watch’ survey, which found that nearly 90% of the chicken stocked on its shelves is locally sourced from Scottish farmers.
From January to February 2020, members of NFU Scotland’s Poultry Working Group visited some of Scotland’s most popular supermarket chains to get a snapshot of the amount of Scottish chicken available over British and imported chicken. 
The shelf watch survey results have shown Aldi to be the number one retailer when it comes to availability of chicken produced in Scotland, with its everyday range made up of approximately 90% Scottish chicken. This was followed by Lidl at 88% and Morrisons at 70%. Two of the country’s largest supermarkets, Asda and Tesco, were both found to stock no Scottish chicken products. The survey also found that 100% of chicken wings and approximately 97% of chicken breast fillets stocked on Aldi’s shelves are Scottish in origin. 
Last year, the supermarket was commended for its support of the Scottish beef industry after a shelf watch survey revealed 96 per cent of its fresh beef was labelled Scotch Beef PGI. The supermarket has also received praise from the Scottish red meat industry for stocking 100% Scotch Lamb PGI and 100% Specially Selected Pork in its everyday ranges. 
Graham Nicolson, Group Buying Director, Aldi Scotland, said: “Our close relationships with Scottish farmers allow us to showcase some of the best local produce, and we are proud this has once again been recognised in NFU Scotland’s latest shelf watch survey. We are committed to offering the highest quality chicken and meat produce in all our Scottish stores for our customers to access all year round. 
“We are looking forward to growing our producer relationships further, and we thank them all for their efforts in supplying and delivering the best quality produce that Scotland has to offer.”
NFU Scotland Supply Chain Working Group Chairman, John Armour, said: “In this most recent shelf watch Aldi has demonstrated a high level of Scottish provenance.  Across the last 12 months, NFU Scotland has found that Aldi consistently perform well, stocking Scottish beef, lamb, pork and chicken throughout the year. This commitment is welcomed by the Scottish farming community.”
For several years, Aldi has led the way with sourcing the highest quality produce from across Scotland, working closely with over 90 local suppliers to stock over 450 Scottish products on its shelves. Last year, the supermarket was crowned Scottish Sourcing Business of the Year at the Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards. To aid Aldi’s expanding footprint in Scotland, the supermarket has invested in a new £25 million freezer and chill facility in Bathgate, which will be operational in spring this year.