Supermarket meat-sourcing policies revealed
A turbulent few weeks for the British livestock industry has seen the horsemeat scandal change the way shoppers think about the food they buy. So what reassurance can the supermarkets offer through their meat-sourcing policies?
Shorter supply chains and more transparency in the meat industry have risen up the agenda since the horsemeat scandal broke in January.
Tesco announced last week it plans to bring the supply chain “closer to home”, which pundits say could mark a seismic shift in its dealings with farmers.
But will the rest of the big four supermarkets follow Tesco’s lead and develop similar plans to buy more British meat?
To help assess what’s next for British meat, Farmers Weekly has taken a look at the meat-sourcing policies of the “big five” supermarkets – ASDA, Co-operative, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco – and asked them to tell us their plans.
To assist in our analysis we enlisted the help of industry experts from the NFU, Red Tractor, the National Sheep Association and the National Beef Association.
It has not been the easiest of exercises with some retailers unable to answer all of our questions in the level of detail we would like.
For example, while all of the major retailers can claim to be selling 100% British or Irish beef none of them was prepared to give a split on how much is British and how much is Irish.
What has also emerged is that while the retailers have plenty to say about where they are sourcing from British farmers there are plenty of areas about which they are coy – suggesting they could do a whole lot better in certain categories.
Yet the good news is that there is clearly momentum behind a move to British.
Tesco and Sainsbury’s are being very open in their ambition to increase the amount of British food they sell. ASDA is expected to follow suit shortly. This is an opportunity the industry needs to grasp.
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