Sainsbury’s moved its entire sandwich supply to Greencore Group shortly before making controversial changes to its £3 meal deal, The Grocer understands.
The supermarket is thought to have officially ended its relationship with Adelie Foods last week - a move that had been on the cards since earlier this year.
Earlier this week, Sainsbury’s revamped its lunchtime meal deal, with the decision to exclude its Taste the Difference sandwiches from the offer among the key changes.
It now only includes 37 sandwiches branded as ‘On the Go by Sainsbury’s’ - a brand revealed by The Grocer in July.
Sainsbury’s would not specify how many sandwiches were available before the overhaul, but insisted its new range had a “much wider” choice of sandwiches, salads and sushi.
It claimed it had spent “millions” on improving its sandwich range, and the options available were now “better quality and better value”. In store, the sandwich fixtures say the range is ‘new and improved’.
Sainsbury’s added it had improved the quality of sandwiches no longer included in the meal deal and maintained or reduced their price.
Sainsbury’s and Greencore declined to comment on their supply arrangements.
#Sandwichgate
But the changes have prompted a backlash among some customers, who complained on Twitter about the loss of previous options using the hashtag #sandwichgate.
“The beef baguette was the one moment of sunshine in my otherwise depressing life,” said customer Nicholas Randall.
Another complained about the demise of the ham hock meal deal. “What was once a great British staple now lies dead to me,” he said.
Others expressed disappointment with some of the new sandwich options, with a new no mayo chicken sarnie (pictured above) attracting particular ire.
Some customers have threatened to boycott Sainsbury’s at lunchtime and take their trade to Tesco and Boots instead.
Responding to customer concerns on Twitter, Sainsbury’s stressed it had invested significantly in its range and said it hoped customers would fine new favourites soon.
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