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Retail

Waitrose To Open Meat Production Facility, Drops Supplier

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Waitrose To Open Meat Production Facility, Drops Supplier

Waitrose has announced that it is to build its own fresh meat production facility as it cuts ties with supplier Freshlink after pork meat was found in its frozen meatballs. The up-market UK retailer has removed the meatballs from its shelves after tests found a batch of the product contained between 5 and 30 per cent pork. It has also emerged that the retailer was aware of the issue for two weeks before informing consumers.

The meatballs are safe to eat but pork is not listed as an ingredient and the retailer has removed them from sale. The product was supplied by Freshlink, a division of the ABP Group whose Silvercrest and Dalepak facilities have been implicated in the ongoing horse meat scandal.

In response, Waitrose is to open a facility for the production of frozen meat products at supplier Dovecote Park’s state of the art facility in Yorkshire.

"We will not be taking any more product from Freshlink. We have taken the decision to build our own UK capability for the production of frozen meat products. We expect this to be ready in about three months, at which point we will not longer be working with ABP," a spokesperson said.

Dovecote Park has been exclusively supplying Waitrose since 1997 with fresh beef products which the retailer says is sourced from a "known and trusted group of 1,000 British farmers", adding that none of the beef is bought on the open market. (13 Feb)

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Photo: Reuters

© 2013 - ESM: European Supermarket Magazine by Sadhbh Connor

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