Asda is the eighth supermarket to join the campaign by adding a ‘Buy UK’ area to its online grocery section.
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
- Tesco’s British seasonal produce page
Asda’s decision follows a long-standing NFU ask dating back to 2016.
The campaign has also been supported by parliamentarians, with Conservative MP Dr Luke Evans penning a letter to eight chief executives of Britain’s 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 received 126 signatures from MPs across the House.
Simple but effective change
NFU Deputy President David Exwood said: “It is excellent to see that all eight major British supermarkets have added a ‘buy British’ button to their websites following our campaign.
“We know from our independent research that the public want to buy more British food from retailers.
“These changes will make it easier for shoppers to do just that when shopping online. Choosing to buy British is an endorsement of the great produce reared and grown by our farmers and growers and helps contribute towards the UK economy.
“We know from our own independent research that the public wants to buy more British food from retailers.”
NFU Deputy President David Exwood
“I’d like to particularly thank Dr Luke Evans MP, for all his work calling on supermarkets to introduce a ‘buy British tab’, gaining cross-party parliamentary support, and writing an open letter to the eight supermarket chief executives.”
Campaign support
Alongside 126 MPs, the NFU’s campaign has also attracted the support of more than 35,000 members of the public.
Signatories to Dr Evans’ letter included chair of the Environmental Audit Committee 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.
Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak endorsed 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”.
Thérèse Coffey announced her support for the campaign during the 2023 Back British Farming Day, as did the now Shadow Defra Secretary Steve Barclay in January 2024. Former Defra Secretary Theresa Villiers was also a signatory on MP Dr Luke Evans’ letter.
The Conservative Environment Network also backed the NFUs campaign.
The campaign featured in the NFU’s British Food: Leading the Way report in 2021.
