Asda has suffered a fresh slump in sales, new figures reveal, as the heavily indebted supermarket struggles to compete against its rivals (The Times £). Mohsin Issa’s turnaround efforts at Asda have been dealt a fresh blow after it became the only major supermarket to post a drop in sales (Telegraph £). The crisis at Asda deepened yesterday as figures showed its slice of the grocery market has crashed to the lowest level on record (Daily Mail).

Britons have cut back on their supermarket shopping and traditional summer purchases because of recent poor weather, even though grocery price inflation slowed further, according to a report (The Guardian). Wet weather and lower inflation led to take-home supermarket sales rising at their slowest pace for two years, according to new figures (Daily Mail).

Football fans targeted by supermarkets as grocery inflation eases further. The final set of grocery industry data before the election suggests the pace of price growth remains at its lowest level since October 2021 but more than a fifth of shoppers are continuing to struggle to make ends meet. (Sky News)

McDonald’s is ending its AI drive-thru trial after customers reported errors in their orders - including bacon being added to ice cream. (Sky News)

China has hit the EU’s soft underbelly in its fight over electric vehicle imports: pork. Poultry and beef could be next — especially chicken feet and other bits that Europeans do not tend to eat, but depend on selling. (Financial Times £)

A ballot process that could see Amazon recognise a trade union in the UK for the first time is to begin. GMB union officials were due to enter the trading giant’s Coventry fulfilment site for the first time on Wednesday. (BBC)

Children across the UK are getting shorter, fatter and sicker amid an epidemic of poor diets, food insecurity and poverty, according to a report warning that millions are facing a “timebomb” of avoidable health conditions. (The Guardian)

Marks & Spencer has reversed its ban on alpaca wool, threatening to spark a row with campaigners who warn that shearing the animals causes “immense suffering. (Telegraph £)

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