Aldi and the Co-op have pledged to continue sourcing meat from British farms amid ongoing UK-US trade talks.
Giles Hurley, Aldi UK and Ireland’s chief executive, said on Thursday that the supermarket will not drop food safety and welfare standards even if current regulations are watered down to secure international agreements.
Meanwhile, the Co-op confirmed it remains committed to sourcing 100% British fresh and frozen meat.
It comes after Tesco’s chief executive Ken Murphy said the supermarket would not source beef from the US earlier this week, but would instead stick to its current policy of sourcing all meat from the UK and Ireland.
Agriculture has been a key part of the preliminary trade deal struck between the UK and US last week, which sees tariffs reduced on US products including beef in return for moves that help British cars and steel.
UK ministers have insisted there will be no downgrade in British food standards, which have been a significant barrier to entry for US-reared meat, including hormone-treated beef and chlorine-washed chicken.
But concerns remain that the US will push the UK to accept American products with lower standards or weaken British standards to ensure closer regulatory alignment as trade talks continue.
Mr Hurley said: “British farming is known for its high welfare, food safety and environmental standards – and we know how important that is to our customers.
“That’s why 100% of our everyday fresh beef, pork and poultry is sourced from British farms, and why we’re guaranteeing that we won’t lower our standards even if others do.
“This isn’t just about food safety. It’s about protecting British farmers and doing the right thing for our customers.”
Aldi’s policies include sourcing 100% of its core fresh beef, pork, poultry, milk and eggs from British farms, which are Red Tractor-approved.
Matt Hood, Co-op’s managing director, said: “We’re a long-term supporter of British farming, and was the first and, at the time, only national UK grocer to switch to 100% British fresh and frozen own brand protein including when used as ingredient in all our products, a commitment we proudly continue to stand by today.
“Farmers are the absolute backbone of the UK’s food supply, so supporting UK agriculture is more important than ever for us, our member owners and customers.”
On a visit to London this week, US agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins told reporters she would like to see the UK and US more aligned on food standards regulations to help remove trade barriers and open up the market to more products.
The US official met with Government ministers to promote more American agricultural products, including pork, poultry, seafood, rice and specialty crops.
