SUPERMARKET chain Aldi has said it is continuing its support of Scottish farmers as it announced it will double its pork range across its stores.
The German food chain said it is “reinforcing” its dedication to Scottish farmers and locally sourced produce by introducing eight new pork lines across its 106 stores in Scotland.
Aldi was recognised by NFU Scotland’s latest Shelfwatch report as the number one grocery store in Scotland for stocking the highest percentage of Scottish products, 45%, in its stores for the second consecutive quarter this year.
According to Aldi, it works with more than 90 suppliers and stocks 450 products from Scotland and has a dedicated department within the business to buy from Scottish producers for its stores across the country.
The new pork range includes a variety of products such as meatballs, belly slices, loin steaks, mince, and shoulder steaks.
Aldi’s announcement is in partnership with Browns Food Group, one of Scotland’s leading pork suppliers, and is supported by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and comes at the end of the seasonal Scottish Food and Drink September.
Graham Nicolson, group buying director at Aldi Scotland, has hailed the announcement saying the supermarket group is doing its best to champion Scottish farmers.
He said: “We’re dedicated to bringing our customers the finest specially selected pork at affordable prices. Thanks to our strong partnerships with farmers and producers across the country, shoppers can now enjoy even more mouth-watering pork options in all 106 of our stores.
“As another Scottish Food and Drink September comes to an end, we’re proud to highlight these valuable collaborations that enable us to offer a diverse and top-quality selection, especially our Scottish-led fresh meat range, which we champion alongside Quality Meat Scotland.”
QMS Chief executive, Sarah Millar, welcomed Aldi's further commitment to Scotland’s pork industry and said it is a testament to its high quality.
She said: “It’s fantastic to have one of our top supermarkets make significant further investment into its offering of pork products which are born, reared and processed in Scotland.
“This commitment to Specially Selected Pork is a testament to the unmatched quality that comes with whole life assurance. We know from our research that provenance and high standards really matter to consumers and our new marketing campaign, ‘When You Know You Know’ highlights this guarantee when they choose our label.
“We’ve no doubt the extended range in Aldi will be a success and we have a suite of delicious recipes available on our website, from pork pad Thai to pork and apple burgers to inspire consumers to cook with specially selected pork.”
