Tesco is revamping its meat, fish and poultry section, rolling out refreshed packaging, new in-store signage and improved products across its range.

The retailer has upped the meat content in its own-label burgers and sausages from 86% to 90% and increased the maturation time for Tesco Finest beef joints and steaks to 28 days, while its Tesco brand range will now be matured for 21 days. Previously, these cuts were typically matured for about 14 to 17 days and there were no set guidelines on maturation. In addition, all of the chicken in Tesco’s Finest range will now be corn-fed, and bacon and lamb mince will contain less fat.

On the packaging side, Tesco is moving away from variable to standardised pack sizes, so its beef mince will now always be sold in 250g, 500g and 750g packs, while chicken fillets will be sold consistently in multiples of two. Pack sizes will also be standardised for bacon and pork chops. “This is so our customers can easily and consistently buy the right pack for their particular recipe,” said a spokeswoman. “Previously, our packs were more variable.”

The improved products are on shelf now, with the new packaging to be rolled out over the coming weeks.

Tesco said it had also improved the signage in its stores, introducing new images to showcase its improved ranges and using quality and sourcing messages, such as “our beef is matured for extra flavour” and “we only select season’s best lamb”. In addition, it had invested in recruiting and training more staff, including 45 new quality assurance managers responsible for checking the quality of meat, fish and poultry products before they hit stores.

“Customers have told us that meat, fish and poultry are really important items on their weekly shopping lists, so we’ve worked hard to refresh our range and improve the shopping experience in store,” said meat, fish and poultry director Derek Lawlor.

Tesco’s revamp of its meat, fish and poultry section follows similar refreshing exercises in its artisan bakeries and ready meals range recently. The retailer also recently relaunched its Everyday Value range, and said customers had responded well to the changes, with 80% of Tesco shoppers now having bought an Everyday Value product.

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