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Supermarket Meat
Retailing report
Meat retail sales, worth £7 billion a year, have been analysed in a new
report published by the NFU.
The Meat and Livestock Commission has issued the Supermarket Meat
Retailing report on behalf of the NFU to look at key areas of the livestock
industry and its place within the retail sector. In the report results have
revealed:
• There is clear evidence that consumers' interest in, and demand for,
origin labeling on meat products is undiminished, and if anything is growing
• together, the top four supermarkets account for around 76 per cent share
of retail grocery sales.
• fresh and chilled food is more important in sales value than ambient and
frozen put together, and meat is an important part of retailers' offer
NFU President Peter Kendall said: "This is a comprehensive and
objective report into the current state of meat retailing as evidenced by
our major supermarkets chains, which I hope will encourage debate about the
future of British livestock farming.
"Rising feed costs are putting intense pressure on sectors of the
industry, and are being compounded by higher regulatory costs, all too often
associated with measures of no practical benefit. There are plenty of
challenges for livestock producers on the supply side of the industry and I
hope this report will lead to stronger linkages being forged between our
major retailers and the farming community who supplies their raw
material."
Food labelling is one key area highlighted in the report for consumers.
It states labelling is improving, but with 74 per cent of consumers saying
they want to see origin of country clearly marked in the pack, the report
also acknowledges more needs to be done, especially for processed meat.
Other key elements, such as pricing, are covered in the report with the
short-term nature of supermarket strategies and fierce competition blamed
for stopping increased farm gate value entering the supply chain. The report
calls for a brave retailer to lead the market and push the price at farm
gate upwards.
For a copy of the report, click
here
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