Retailers are bracing themselves for a surge in demand for cheap British pork cuts following next week's Jamie Saves Our Bacon programme.
In Oliver's much-anticipated show, seen by The Grocer, the celebrity chef urges consumers to buy cheaper cuts of meat such as shoulder, belly and neck fillet steak and help struggling UK farmers achieve a better carcase balance.
Farmers are currently unable to sell the whole of a pig's carcass on the UK market, Oliver points out, with much pork shoulder cheaply exported. This contrasts with pork loin, of which some 14 million pigs' worth is imported.
Oliver makes a plea to supermarkets to sell British pork and bacon, which he says are produced to higher animal welfare standards than imports.
"I want to see the Union Jack, I want you to sell British, push it, have point of sale, recipe cards, promotions in your magazines," Oliver tells supermarket representatives on the show.
Sainsbury's said it was prepared for an uplift in sales of Freedom Food pork following the broadcast, and had readied pork tip cards, recipes and leaflets. New lines to be added in the coming weeks would include mince, belly, neck fillets and shoulder joints, while counters would stock trotters and regional cuts.
Tesco said it was encouraging customers to try less well-known and cheaper cuts of pork. "This includes offering promotions such as save £2 on stuffed belly joint and shoulder steaks for just £4," a spokeswoman said. Meanwhile, The Co-op plans to convert all its own-label bacon, gammon and fresh pork to British by next month.
Oliver's show highlights two practices common in European meat production, but not widely used in the UK, which he gives as reasons to buy British. The first is the use of sow stalls, in which pigs used for breeding spend most of their life in cramped stalls. He also points out that castration of piglets is common in Europe.
In Oliver's much-anticipated show, seen by The Grocer, the celebrity chef urges consumers to buy cheaper cuts of meat such as shoulder, belly and neck fillet steak and help struggling UK farmers achieve a better carcase balance.
Farmers are currently unable to sell the whole of a pig's carcass on the UK market, Oliver points out, with much pork shoulder cheaply exported. This contrasts with pork loin, of which some 14 million pigs' worth is imported.
Oliver makes a plea to supermarkets to sell British pork and bacon, which he says are produced to higher animal welfare standards than imports.
"I want to see the Union Jack, I want you to sell British, push it, have point of sale, recipe cards, promotions in your magazines," Oliver tells supermarket representatives on the show.
Sainsbury's said it was prepared for an uplift in sales of Freedom Food pork following the broadcast, and had readied pork tip cards, recipes and leaflets. New lines to be added in the coming weeks would include mince, belly, neck fillets and shoulder joints, while counters would stock trotters and regional cuts.
Tesco said it was encouraging customers to try less well-known and cheaper cuts of pork. "This includes offering promotions such as save £2 on stuffed belly joint and shoulder steaks for just £4," a spokeswoman said. Meanwhile, The Co-op plans to convert all its own-label bacon, gammon and fresh pork to British by next month.
Oliver's show highlights two practices common in European meat production, but not widely used in the UK, which he gives as reasons to buy British. The first is the use of sow stalls, in which pigs used for breeding spend most of their life in cramped stalls. He also points out that castration of piglets is common in Europe.
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