FDBusiness.com

Sainsbury’s has announced its milestone move to all its fresh pork being 100% British. The commitment comes ten years after the retailer guaranteed all fresh chicken as British and reinforces its commitment to British sourcing. Sourcing from more British farmers than ever before, sourcing closer to home will increase Sainsbury’s supply of British pork significantly.

From 3 July 2013, traditional favourites including pork loins, chops and joints will all be British, adding to Sainsbury’s British credentials on ham and fresh sausages. 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 its commitment to double the amount of British food it sells by 2020 and responded to customers increasing interest in home grown food.

Sue Lockhart, head of Agriculture at Sainsbury’s, says: “Sourcing food closer to home and developing even stronger links with farmers is 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. 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.”