Waitrose has begun sourcing all its frozen beef from a single dedicated supplier.
Today, its Yorkshire-based fresh beef supplier Dovecote Park opened a new unit to handle frozen beef production.
The investment means that Dovecote Park will now supply all of Waitrose’s frozen beef, as well as its fresh beef.
Previously, the supermarket had relied on other companies to process and package the beef that it sourced from farmers. For example, the essential Waitrose frozen meatballs that were recalled in February after tests indicated traces of pork were processed by an ABP factory in Glasgow.
Waitrose said the move to extend Dovecote Park – which was initiated long before the horsemeat scandal broke – improved traceability and shortened the distance from farmgate to the supermarket shelf.
It also said the new Dovecote facility would improve the quality of Waitrose’s frozen beef products, ensuring the same standard and taste as chilled meat.
“We’re delighted that this new frozen facility means we can get all our fresh and frozen beef from one source. More importantly for our customers it’s fully traceable as it’s controlled by one processor, which shortens the supply chain and gives our customers total reassurance about where their beef has come from,” said Waitrose buying director Heather Jenkins.
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