Tesco leads the charge back into quality pork

National Pig Association THE VOICE OF THE UK PIG INDUSTRY NPA is active on members' behalf in Brussels & Whitehall, and with processors, supermarkets & caterers - fighting for the growth and pros-perity of the UK pig industry.

The return to British pork is being led by Tesco, which increased the amount of British Quality Standard Pork on its shelves last month by 16 percent and now leads the field by a clear margin with nearly 90 percent of all its fresh pork guaranteed British.

Tesco has been singled out as PorkWatch's 'Best Performer' and 'Most Improved Performer' with the Co-op (79 percent British pork) and Sainsbury (80 percent) also receiving praise from the industry, for lifting their British pork displays by 7 percent and 6 percent respectively.

This evidence of increased support for British-produced pork has been warmly welcomed by British pig producers, and heralds the beginning of a return to the British premium.

In recent months producers have been concerned about the increasing amount of cheap imported pork being sold in supermarkets for human consumption, even though much of it is produced in ways that would be illegal in this country. Full details available here soon.

Morrisons and Budgens sell 100 percent British fresh pork but are let down by their labelling. At Morrisons 68 percent of fresh pork carries the British Quality Standard Mark (which guarantees British standards) and at Budgens, 17 percent. Marks and Spencer and Waitrose are also excellent ambassadors for British pork, ham and bacon, but they are not included in the published PorkWatch results because they do not currently use the Quality Standard Mark.

Source: By Digby Scott - National Pig Association - 2nd December 2004