Six major UK supermarkets have now responded to the call for them to back the nation’s farmers by adding ‘buy British’ tabs to their websites.
Waitrose and the Co-op are the latest national retailer to join the campaign by implementing ‘British’ and ‘Best of British’ sections online.
Other supermarkets who have taken up the call to back farmers include Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Aldi and Ocado. Tesco and Asda have still not shown support.
The move follows an open letter written by Conservative MP Dr Luke Evans to the chief executives of eight major supermarkets.
He asked for a filter which would direct shoppers to homegrown food to help boost the economy and cut the UK’s carbon footprint.
The letter was was co-signed by 125 cross-party MPs, and echoed a long-standing NFU ask dating back to 2016.
Now the Co-op has said that its Best of British page would make it easier for customers to buy British and support local livelihoods.
It said: “We know food provenance really matters to our member owners, and we continue our longstanding support for British farmers, growers and local suppliers, championing home-grown produce, protein and products.”
Meanwhile, Waitrose has also added a ‘Best of British’ section, which a spokesperson said the supermarket would look to expand if it proved successful with customers.
Responding to the new action, NFU Deputy President David Exwood said he was “pleased” to see supermarkets getting behind the campaign.
“We know from our own independent research that the public wants to buy more British food from retailers,” he added.
Dr Evans said implementing a ‘Buy British’ section online was a “relatively simple change that gives consumers greater choice, supports our farmers and cuts down on unnecessary food miles”.
“We know from our own independent research that the public wants to buy more British food from retailers," he said.
“Better still, this hasn’t required any legislation; this is farmers, MPs, supermarkets and the public all working together – with government backing – to make a change.
Dr Evans added he would follow up with Tesco and Asda “in the hope that they follow suit soon”.
