Backing Scotland’s local food producers
WE’D ALL LIKE TO SUPPORT SOME OF THE BEST SCOTTISH FARMERS AND SUPPLIERS – AND WHEN YOU SHOP AT LIDL IT’S EASY TO DO SO WITHOUT BREAKING THE BANK
When you do your weekly shop, would you prefer to choose top-quality, fresh Scottish produce if that doesn’t mean spending over the odds?
The good news is that Lidl sources 400 products from Scottish suppliers stretching from Shetland to Stranraer.
That means you can fill your trolly with fantastic own-brand Scottish produce, from Aberdeen Angus steaks to Lorne sausage and Scottish eggs.
Thanks to its relationships with some of Scotland’s best farmers and food suppliers, Lidl aims to provide its customers with only the highest-quality, locally sourced produce, while offering excellent value.
This produce also includes top-quality Scottish lamb. One of the farms that supplies Lidl is in Peebleshire, and has been owned by Michael Aitken’s family for
“We’ve got about 900 breeding ewes,” Michael explains. “We use Scotch mule sheep – this gives you a good-grade lamb.
“They’re 100 per cent grass-fed from around the farm, and they live outdoors from only a few days old. I think there’s definitely a taste difference in animals allowed to roam freely and find their own feed.
“And when it comes to food miles… if you’re in Scotland eating Scotland-grown lamb, that is great.”
ANIMAL WELFARE
For Michael, taking good care of the animals he rears is crucial to his business: “The welfare of our sheep is our priority – if you don’t look after them, they won’t look after you. This is what we spend our lives producing, so they should be looked after to the best of our ability.
“We receive regular visits from the Quality Meat Scotland [QMS] farm assurance auditor, who will look round our facilities, look over our records, go through and actually look at our sheep as well. If there are animals showing signs of illness or poor welfare, then they’ll be asking questions!”
Look out for the on-pack QMS logos – Scotch Beef, Scotch
Lamb and Specially Selected Pork – it means they were sourced from farms that meet high standards of quality, traceability and animal welfare. This guarantees you great-quality produce at excellent value.
Lidl also participates in the RSPCA’s exacting labelling scheme: another indicator that excellent animal-welfare standards have been adhered to.
The welfare of our sheep is our priority – if you don’t look after them, they won’t look after you
FARMING METHODS
And that’s not all: Lidl is proud to be the first UK retailer to introduce Welfare Windows to its fresh pork, poultry and egg ranges, making it easy for you to find out more about the farming methods used.
So when you do your next weekly shop at Lidl, not only will you be saving money, you’ll also know that you’re helping to support the best of Scottish food producers too.