Aldi has invested more than £45m in the British seafood industry over the past 12 months as the discounter continues to expand its fish offering.

Since the beginning of the year, Aldi has launched 20 new British-sourced fish products, including its British pollock, chunky breaded cod and haddock.

The increased investment also marks part of the supermarket’s ongoing commitment to championing Great British quality and supporting more UK suppliers, including its Scottish supplier Thistle, which has been supplying Aldi for more than 20 years with coated fish, fish cakes and its Specially Selected cod and haddock.

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Aldi UK managing director of buying Julie Ashfield said: “At Aldi, we are incredibly proud of the long-standing relationships we have with British fisheries across the country.

“This increased investment demonstrates our commitment to these partnerships and our dedication to providing our customers with high-quality, sustainably sourced British fish.”

To ensure its products are sourced responsibly, the discount grocer uses certification programmes such as the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) for wild-caught fish and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) for farmed fish and seafood.

It comes as Aldi has stopped selling eggs from caged hens as it hit its target to go cage-free “more than a year ahead of schedule”.

The change, which means all of the retailer’s eggs are now British Lion Code approved, will see it sell more British free-range eggs than any other UK supermarket, according to data from Kantar.