The campaign for a ‘Buy British’ section on supermarkets’ online stores supported by Dr Neil Hudson MP sees its second success as Aldi launch ‘Best of British’ section for click and collect shoppers.
In August 2023 Dr Neil Hudson and 120 other cross-Party MPs signed an open letter calling on supermarkets to highlight the very best of British produce by implementing a ‘Buy British’ section online.
The letter, written by Dr Luke Evans MP, stated ‘Our ask is simple, create a tab that collates produce from farmers,’ citing consumer choice, environmental benefits and support for farmers as reasons to make the change.
Aldi Chief Executive Giles Hurley has written to Dr Evans MP to confirm the implementation of “a standalone ‘Best of British’ category on our website to showcase our incredible British products.”
The UK’s fourth-largest supermarket’s new dedicated webpage includes a wide selection of over 250 groceries, ranging from meat to dairy products and everyday essentials, and can be found at groceries.aldi.co.uk for click and collect shoppers.
Since Dr Hudson signed the open letter over 30,000 people have signed a National Farmers Union (NFU) petition in support, the Government endorsed the campaign and Morrisons also launched a ‘British’ section online.
Dr Neil Hudson MP, said:
“It’s clear people want to back British produce so I must thank Aldi for this small but meaningful change which puts our farmers first.
“The reaction to this campaign has been overwhelmingly positive, with food producers across the United Kingdom supporting the call and consumers asking why supermarkets weren’t doing it already.
“Both Morrisons and Aldi have shown great leadership on this, I trust other supermarkets will make the change soon too.”
Dr Luke Evans MP, said:
“I’m really pleased to see Aldi have reiterated their commitment to support our farmers by making it even easier for consumers to buy British produce online.
“Aldi have rightly recognised the importance of supporting our food growers and producers by putting the new ‘Best of British’ section right at the top of their webpage!
“When I speak to farmers they say the best thing we can do to support them is buy homegrown food, this is another step in the right direction and I look forward to seeing other supermarkets follow in their footsteps.”
Julie Ashfield, Managing Director of Buying at Aldi UK, said:
“Our Best of British webpage aims to give our customers the chance to navigate British products more easily whilst supporting the thousands of local suppliers that we work with.
“We are proud to champion so many British suppliers and they are at the heart of our success, allowing us to offer our customers great British quality at the best possible prices.”
Minette Batters, President of the National Farmers Union, said:
“It’s fantastic that Aldi is championing British farmers by introducing a ‘Best of British’ section online. Recent data shows that most shoppers want to buy more British food and this simple change will help Aldi customers locate high quality, homegrown food much more easily.
“We now have two major retailers in Aldi and Morrisons adapting their online service to support both their suppliers and customers. Dr Luke Evans has been instrumental in driving this campaign forwards and thanks to his tireless efforts alongside the NFU I hope even more retailers will follow suit.”
