A number of UK restaurants, pubs, hotels, and even fast-food caterers, are poised to follow the lead given by McDonald’s in sourcing all-British pork and pork products, according to National Pig Association (NPA) chief executive, Dr Zoe Davies.
Commenting in a National Farmers Union (NFU) press release, designed to secure maximum general media attention, Dr Davies (pictured above) also said that recent conversations with foodservice companies had revealed that many were “surprised” to find the pork they’d been selling over the years had been imported from the continent”.
The NPA/NFU publicity push follows the introduction in April this year of mandatory origin labelling rules for fresh and frozen meat, an EU-led move which “sparked a wave of interest” among foodservice companies in sourcing British pork.
“We are seeing a surge in enquiries from restaurants, pubs, hotels, and even fast-food caterers, and we hope to be able to announce in due course that some have decided to go the McDonald’s route and source all-British pork and pork products,” she said.
NPA chairman, Richard Lister, added: “If you sell British pork then it makes good business sense to advertise the fact. We know it pays dividends because a recent YouGov survey shows that when it comes to customer trust, foodservice outlets have a long way to go before they catch up with retailers.”