MP Richard Foord has welcomed German-owned supermarket Aldi’s decision to establish a ‘Best of British’ section in its UK stores to help promote home-grown produce. 

Aldi’s announcement comes after Morrisons said it would introduce a ‘Buy British’ section, following pressure from Liberal Democrat Mr Foord and a cross-party group of MPs.

Mr Foord spoke in Parliament on the importance of ensuring ‘fair play’ between supermarkets and farmers, and action to ‘beef up’ the Groceries Code Adjudicator to crack down on wayward practices.

Aldi is one of the country’s top six UK supermarkets with 80 per cent of its produce UK-grown and has held top spot in the Groceries Supplies Code of Practice annual survey for an unprecedented 10 years, due in part to its ‘fairness’ to farmers.

Mr Foord called for other supermarkets to now follow suit and ‘give British produce the pride of place it deserves’.

He said: “Here in the UK, we produce some of the best produce in the world.

“Devon’s farmers are well known for their quality and commitment to high standards.

“That is why it is so welcome to see another big supermarket has now heeded my push for a specific section dedicated to promoting our home-grown goods.

“Farmers often get a rough deal from the supermarkets, with many retailers focusing on paying rock bottom prices to pad their profits.

“We need to see fair play and a fair deal between producers and retailers, with a commitment to delivering quality goods at a fair price.