Sainsbury’s has announced that all its fresh pork will be 100% British with immediate effect.
The commitment comes 10 years after the retailer guaranteed all fresh chicken as British and enforces its commitment to British sourcing. Buying from more British farmers than ever before, and sourcing closer to home, will increase Sainsbury’s supply of British pork significantly.
From today (July 3), traditional favourites including pork loins, chops and joints will all be British, adding to Sainsbury’s British credentials on ham and fresh sausages. The retailer sasy the move gives its pig farmers the confidence to invest in their future and reduces reliance on Pork from the EU including Dutch and Danish.
Sainsbury’s has built its investment as part of a commitment to double the amount of British food it sells by 2020, and in response to customers’ increasing interest in home-grown food.
Sainsbury’s head of agriculture, Sue Lockhart, said sourcing food closer to home and developing even stronger links with farmers was a key part of continuing to lead on fresh food.
“Our customers trust us to source the very best fresh food in a sustainable way and we’re pleased to announce fresh pork as our latest progress,” she said. “This summer customers will see more British food than ever before from beef burgers through to blueberries from Scotland.
“The leading work we do in partnership with our growers and farmers in the UK and abroad continues to expand. Most recently we allocated £1.2 million funding to drive the future of British farming which has shown that agriculture is evolving and continues to offer benefits throughout the supply chain – from farmers through to our customers.”
Meryl Ward, who was recently awarded an MBE for her work on pig welfare and is a member of the Sainsbury’s Pork Development Group said the move was amazing news, especially as it came at a time when pig farmers had had such a challenging year.
“The commitment will give farmers confidence to invest in their business as they have a guaranteed order with a major retailer,” she said. “Earlier this year Sainsbury’s supported it’s Pork Development Group members with a price premium because of the rising cost in feed, it’s responsive moves like this that farmers need for a sustainable future.”