German discounter Aldi increased its spend on food produced in the Republic by almost a quarter since the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country, the retailer said on Wednesday.
Sales growth was seen for Irish pork (35 per cent), lamb (23 per cent), beef (22 per cent) and poultry (17 per cent).
As a result of the heightened customer demand, the grocery retailer increased its spend on food and drink produced here by more than 24 per cent.
Aldi says it has invested more than €2.5 million since 2018 in its programme designed to grow its Irish supply base and increase the volume of Irish products available in its stores.
It has also extended an initiative to pay small and medium suppliers quicker than usual to the end of the year.
The retailer employs more than 4,000 staff across its network of 142 stores around the country.
