Eblex quality is the standard

LAUNCHED less than a year ago, the English Beef and Lamb Executive Quality Standard Scheme has become the benchmark throughout the meat trade.

With the aim of ensuring a beef and lamb Quality Mark which offered taste and succulence to consumers, and backed by a £14.2 million marketing budget, the scheme has attracted a membership of more than 1,500 abattoirs, processors, distributors, retailers and caterers.

The signing-up of eight supermarket chains alone has resulted in more than 8,000 outlets able to sell Quality Standard beef and lamb.

And among those which have now joined them are almost 1,400 independent butchers, 74 catering suppliers, 54 wholesalers, 52 abattoirs and processors and 37 distributors.

Phil Davies, EBLEX Trade Sector Manager, said: "The response has been phenomenal and we will continue to recruit new Scheme members to build on this success.

"This has been a recognition of the rigorous standards imposed by the scheme and the belief that this can offer a real opportunity to meet consumers' needs for a scheme with integrity and top quality beef and lamb."