This week Lidl UK joined fellow retailers Marks & Spencer, Waitrose, Aldi and The Co-operative in the commitment to support UK farming in stocking British products. Joining the British charter requires all retailers to clearly label British food using either a British flag or the Red Tractor logo.
Lidl are already key retailers in supporting growth in British farming, sourcing 70% of its core range for its 630 stores and further exporting more than £300million worth of British produce a year to 27 other countries.
Christian Härtnagel Lidl UK chief executive stated “To ensure that we can always offer our customers the freshest, highest quality products at the best prices, it is imperative that we continue to support the British farming industry and further cultivate the strong relationships that we have with our suppliers.”
The National Farmers Union (NFU) who launched Back British campaign in 2013 welcomed Lidl’s commitment and strong support in growing the British farming sector and commented “Today’s pledge by Lidl UK shows customers that it is committed to providing high-quality products, which are associated with British agriculture. Our farmers and growers invest huge amounts of time, effort and resource to produce quality food which complies with leading animal health and welfare and environmental standards. To produce more food, farmers and growers need the support of retailers like Lidl UK to allow them to do their job.”
Statistics from NFU show that 86% of shoppers prefer to buy British food, and every £1 which is invested in farming sees a return of £7.40 to the nation.