A survey which keeps an eye on the levels of British pork in supermarkets has noted that retailers are now importing considerably more bacon than a year ago, when UK producer prices were in a downward spiral.
The latest AHDB Pork Porkwatch survey was described as 'disappointing' by the National Pig Association (NPA).
Across all 10 retailers covered in the bimonthly AHDB Pork survey, there was an 11% year-on-year fall in the proportion of British bacon on the shelves. The figure for January stood at 43%, compared with 46% in the November survey.
NPA chief executive Zoe Davies: “The overall picture is mixed and the bacon results, in particular, are disappointing.
“But it is encouraging to see some retailers upping their game. Aldi continues to make good progress in supporting British farmers, particularly on bacon, which raises the question: If they can do it, why can’t others?
“It is very disappointing to see some retailers, notably Morrisons and Sainsbury’s, importing more bacon.
“Asda has shown welcome improvement, after we raised our concerns with them in the strongest possible terms after the previous survey.
“But they have still got a long way to go – using imported bacon for four out every five packs sold in its stores is not good enough"
Despite what was seen as a disappointing overall picture, some retailers, notably Aldi and Tesco recorded positive increases in British bacon. And following public criticism and lobbying from the NPA, Asda proved to perform well in most categories.
