ALDI is launching a gourmet burger using one of the world’s most expensive meats as part of its 25th anniversary in Scotland.
The supermarket has priced the Specially Selected Scotch Wagyu Gourmet Burgers, released in partnership with Scotbeef, at £3.49 per pack.
To be classified as “Wagyu”, the meat must originate from one of four traditional Japanese cattle breeds; Japanese Black, Japanese Brown, Japanese Shorthorn and Japanese Polled. Aldi’s new burgers are produced from traditional Japanese cattle breeds all born and reared in Scotland.
Wagyu meat is renowned for being one of the most expensive in the world and contains a high percentage of monosaturated fats, which gives the meat its distinctive marbling effect. Once cooked, the marbling melts into the meat.
Graham Nicolson, group buying director at Aldi Scotland, said: “The launch of our new Specially Selected Scotch Wagyu Gourmet Burgers is part of our wider commitment to supporting the Scotch Beef industry by working closely with Scotbeef to supply our customers with the highest quality Scotch meat at everyday low prices.”
The announcement follows NFU Scotland’s “shelf-watch” supermarket survey, which revealed that Aldi was the strongest supporter of Scottish Beef with 96% of beef stocked being Scotch Beef PGI certified.
Nick Watkin, national account manager at Scotbeef, said: “We are incredibly proud to work in partnership with Aldi to meet the growing consumer demand for premium quality Scotch beef. The new Scotch Wagyu burgers reflect the retailer’s commitment to supporting the future of the Scotch beef and Scottish red meat industries.”
Earlier this year, Aldi announced the launch of a series of six Native Cattle Breed Scotch Burgers as part of its “Fresh Meat Specialbuy” calendar in partnership with Scotbeef.
The Wagyu burgers, which are available from today, are made from certified Scotch beef, which means the meat is guaranteed to come from animals born and reared on assured Scottish farms.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Aldi opening its first store in Scotland and the 10th anniversary of the creation of its dedicated Scottish buying department.
As part of Aldi’s ambitious plans for Scotland in its 25th anniversary year, the retailer aims to increase its range of Scottish products to more than 450 by the end of 2020.
The supermarket now has 86 stores in Scotland.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here