An online supermarket sourcing guide has been launched by the NFU so shoppers can find out who is backing British farming.

The NFU has been working over the past 12 months to establish the sourcing policies of all the major retailers on their ‘own brand’ products.

Ruth Mason, chief food chain adviser at the NFU, said that transparency was the key to providing shoppers with information that would enable them to buy British, as well as allowing farmers to produce for the domestic retail market.

“We want to promote British food to the general public and support shoppers who want to buy British food by helping them find it at different retailers. If consumers know who is sourcing from British farmers and growers, it allows them to make an informed choice about which retailers they then want to buy from. This guide enables them to evaluate the performance of their regular retailer in terms of supporting British farming.

“What is needed is transparency. The overriding message for consumers is to buy British food and use this guide to be savvy about retailer sourcing policies for own-brand products.

“We also want all of the major retailers to pledge their support for the NFU’s Back British Farming Charter.”

The online guide shows that Aldi and Morrisons source all of their beef and lamb from British farmers on their standard and premium lines, while Asda, The Co-operative and Sainsbury’s source 100% British for their premium lines of beef and lamb only.

The Co-operative, Lidl, M&S and Waitrose said all of their standard line beef came from British producers; however they only source British lamb at certain times of the year.

When it came to selling seasonal British fruit and vegetables, Aldi reported selling 16 lines, including potatoes, carrots, pumpkins, berries and parsnips. This was followed by Waitrose, which reported selling 12 lines, Morrisons with 10, and Tesco and the Co-operative with six.

The NFU has stressed that as sourcing policies constantly change, the guide will be updated although the NFU is calling for retailers to build more transparent and sustainable supply chains.

The NFU also said labeling was still too difficult to understand, making it difficult for consumers to identify British produce, particularly in the dairy sector. However it pointed out that consumers could ensure they bought British by looking out for the Red Tractor logo with the Union Jack on it, which meant the food could be traced back to a British farm.