Sainsbury’s has moved to reassure consumers that supply of Taste the Difference pork will not be affected by one of its major suppliers entering administration.

Deloitte partners Adrian Berry and Clare Boardman were appointed joint administrators of Dent Limited on 2 December. Dent’s business encompasses 100,000 pigs held across 80 farms operated by third party contractors.

It supplies outdoor-reared, high-welfare pigs that provide pork sold under Sainsbury’s top-tier Taste the Difference brand.

A Sainsbury’s spokeswoman said: “We’d like to reassure customers that all of our pork products, including Taste the Difference, will be available in stores as usual.” All of its fresh pork would continue to be 100% British, she added.

Meanwhile, the administrators told staff and contracted pig producers that no immediate action was planned.

“The business will continue to trade and a sale process undertaken, and no redundancies are planned at this stage,” said Adrian Berry, partner in restructuring services at Deloitte.

A formal sales process was underway and Deloitte was in detailed discussions with a number of parties, Deloitte added in a statement.

Industry experts said the business was unlikely to be sold as a whole. Due to the risk involved in buying such a large enterprise, it would “probably be broken up,” predicted Lizzie Press, general manager of the National Pig Association.

A spokesman for Cranswick said it was “in discussions with the administrators as are other parties”, but would not comment further.

Deloitte was appointed in relation to Dent Limited only. Associated companies North Lakes Foods (a dairy business) and haulage business Dent Company continue to trade as normal.

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