Premier Foods’ troubled Hovis brand has been delisted from smaller-format Asda stores.

The retailer said Hovis, which has been particularly vulnerable to this year’s poor UK wheat harvest because of its commitment to use 100% British wheat, had “struggled” to supply its 136 former Netto stores, which would now carry Warburtons and Kingsmill.

Asda has also delisted Hovis’ British Farmers Loaf across its entire estate, claiming it hadn’t performed well. The loaf was launched in April to flag up British provenance.

However, it insisted it was still committed to working with Premier - describing it as a key bakery supplier. Premier also stressed that Asda remained an important customer and that it “provided a wide range of Hovis products to it”.

News of the delistings follows the announcement of the closure of two Premier bakeries and the loss of a £75m contract to supply Hovis and own-label bread to The Co-operative Group.

There has been speculation that the pressure on UK flour supply would force Hovis to renege on its UK sourcing pledge. Premier told The Grocer this week it remained committed to sourcing British wheat, but added: “As a result of the recent harvest, the company continues to review procurement strategies to ensure optimum quality is maintained.”

Processing this year’s wheat crop was “a nightmare”, said one baker. “I dread to think how bad it is for Premier.”

The wet and cool summer delayed the 2012 harvest and the yield was down 8% on the five-year average [HGCA].

“The flour content of the wheat is the lowest since the 60s,” said Alex Waugh, DG at the National Association for British & Irish Millers, which put the cost of bread wheat at £260 per tonne, compared with £170 a year ago.

Inconsistency had been a major problem, added another expert. “You buy a certain grade of flour and expect it to produce a dough that behaves in a consistent way,” she said.

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