Great Scots!
Scotland’s food and drink industry has been given a boost with the promise of thousands of new jobs and extra investment in the country’s produce.
Aldi, Asda, The Co-Operative, Lidl, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose and the Scottish Retail Consortium met with Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead late last month to set out their support for Scottish produce.
Asda revealed that it is aiming for a 47% increase in sales of local food in Scotland this year, and is pledging to create 3,500 new jobs. Marks & Spencer, meanwhile, sources over £260 million of food from Scotland – buying Scottish haddock and only sourcing trout from Scottish farms. Sainsbury’s stocks almost 1,500 Scottish lines from 138 Scottish suppliers throughout its UK stores, while Tesco sells £2bn of Scottish products across the UK from 150 Scottish suppliers. And Morrisons is starting to farm a 700-acre site at Dumfries House in South Ayrshire, primarily rearing cattle and sheep.
Says Lochead:“It is heartening that leading nationwide supermarkets are recognising the value of Scotland’s food and drink and converting that into tangible investment.