Tesco is the latest national supermarket to join the campaign by launching a ‘Best of British’ section to its website – visit their British seasonal produce page.
Other supermarkets who have taken up the call to back Britain’s farmers include:
- Waitrose's British section
- The Co-op's Best of British page
- Sainsbury’s Best of British page
- Morrisons’ ‘British’ section
- Aldi's ‘Best of British’ category
- Ocado Retail's Best of British aisle
The move follows an open letter written by Conservative MP Dr Luke Evans to the chief executives of eight major supermarkets asking 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 126 cross-party MPs, and echoed a long-standing NFU ask dating back to 2016.
Tesco's Chief Commercial officer, Ashwin Prasad said: “Supporting British farmers, growers and suppliers remains critical to ensuring we have a robust food industry here in the UK, and we count ourselves as proud champions of British agriculture, striving to source produce from the UK wherever possible.”
“Our customers share our love for British produce, and we want to do all we can to make it as easy to find as possible, no matter how they shop with us, so we’re thrilled to be launching our Best of British page on our groceries website, bringing together over 500 quality, affordable British products to choose from.”
Simple but effective change
NFU Deputy President David Exwood said: “It’s brilliant to see Tesco follow six other supermarkets’ lead to add a buy British section on their website. Not only does this help support Dr Luke Evans’ fantastic campaign to help back British farmers and growers, but it also offers shoppers a direct way to support their local farms and buy homegrown produce.
"We know from our own independent research that the public want to buy more British food from retailers and that’s why we have been championing this important issue since 2016."
“We know from our own independent research that the public wants to buy more British food from retailers.”
NFU Deputy President David Exwood
Dr Luke Evans, Member of Parliament for Bosworth, said “I’m pleased to welcome Tesco to the fray. It’s great to see the UK’s largest supermarket join other major retailers in implementing an online ‘Buy British’ section which will support our farmers and give consumers greater choice.
“This is really welcome news and a step forward in supporting our nation’s food growers and producers by showcasing over 500 homegrown items, with everything from meat and vegetables to dairy products now easier to find on the ‘Best of British’ tab.”
Show your support
Following repeated calls from the NFU and more than 27,000 members of the public, the former Defra Secretary of State Thérèse Coffey announced her support on Back British Farming Day for signposting customers to ‘buy British’ when they shop online.
The campaign featured in the NFU’s British Food: Leading the Way report in 2021.
The Conservative Environment Network has also backed the ‘Buy British’ button in their farming manifesto and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also lent his support to the campaign and called for industry-led action: “We will continue to encourage all retailers to do all they can to showcase the incredible food produced right here, in the United Kingdom.”
If you agree this is a good idea, add your name to show all supermarkets that shoppers want the option to buy British food online.
A ‘small change’ to back the nation’s farmers
Open letter signatories to Dr Evans’ letter included former Defra Secretary Theresa Villiers, chair of the Environmental Audit Committee Rt Hon Philip Dunne MP, Climate Minister Graham Stuart and members of the Commons’ Efra Committee.
The letter was signed by representatives from all the main political parties in England and Wales. It said that the “small change” would give “customers greater autonomy over their food choices” and could boost seasonal eating.
“It is often tricky to determine what products are produced in the UK and this simple change would help shoppers do that."
Former NFU President Minette Batters
Former NFU President Minette Batters said “it’s great to see MPs and their constituents getting behind the idea of a ‘buy British tab’ online”.
“We know from our own independent survey that 86% of the public want to buy more British food, but it is often tricky to determine what products are produced in the UK and this simple change would help shoppers do that.”
