All Co-op branded fresh pork is 100% British and outdoor-bred
144 words approx. 1 minute to read
From July, all of Co-op branded fresh pork, bacon, sausage, gammon and ham will be sourced from British outdoor, RSPCA Assured farms.
Last year we invested £1 billion in British agriculture, sourcing home-grown meat and fresh produce. We switched our Co-op branded fresh meat to 100% British too. We’re now committed to leading the way with higher standards of animal welfare.
What 100% British outdoor-bred pork means for you
Our customers and members shop with Co-op because they know we are as passionate as they are about animal welfare.
The highest animal welfare standards should not just be the preserve of premium products and we want to ensure that the very best quality British pork is available at everyday affordable prices. We are working hard with passionate British farmers who share our principles, providing exceptional quality pork produce with a conscience.
Cathryn Higgs
Head of Food Policy
I agree with all the comments above about “Outdoor bred” being too ambiguous. Better than the alternatives but I think Co-op (and others) can and should do better. If all our meat were fully free-range, it would be more expensive, people would eat less of it as a result, and animals would have better lives – isn’t this the sort of result we’re after?
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I feel it is also important to support farmers in my local area, as opposed to hundreds of miles away: does the Coop have any policy on locally produced food, in addition to the above?
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Not so reassuring for piglets – following an article in the Times on 30 July 2018. I agree with many comments – don’t eat meat!
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Animal welfare is important. The Co-Op needs to make clear to customers what exactly it means by ‘free-range’, outdoor bred’, outdoor reared’, etc.
I would also like to know what the Co-Op thinks about nitrates and nitrites as preservatives in meat?
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I note you have waited for a response to your question about Nitrate free bacon.
Suspect that product management team spend their time playing cards!
Waitrose, Morrisons and Lidl retail this product.
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There is nothing good about RSPCA Assured I think the farm that supplies Tescos was proof of that (Hogwood)
Please just don’t sell the flesh of another soul.
Welfare for All Animals is important but better still for them not to be used and abused for our benefit.
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Very true cathie ! Animals are here with us NOT for us ! Time everyone went vegan, for the animals ,environment ,health ! Its animal exploitation !
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watch Joe Rogan interview Dr Chris Kresser on YouTube regarding veganism, it might give you food for thought.
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I do agree with the comment from Andrew, that it would be good if this emphasis on animal welfare could be rolled out to include chickens. I asked a member of staff in my local Co-Op why they didn’t have any free range chicken and she said she thought it all was! it’s certainly not described as such and if the staff aren’t sure how can the customers be?
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Gillian. The Co-op do sell free range chicken, in selected stores. The vast majority of the chicken is reared to basic Red Tractor standard. They did sell 100% high welfare chicken a few years ago, but this was stopped about 6 years ago. Let’s hope this news about the pigs is just the start of a move to higher welfare for all animals.
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I agree. Dodn’t know which stores sell free range chicken in my area, I haven’t seen any.
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Outdoor bred simply means the sows live outdoors and have their piglets in small straw bedded arcs out in the fields. The piglets can run around outside until they are weaned. They are then moved into social groups in large open straw bedded barns.
This system is a massive improvement to the standard indoor intensive reared pork that others sell. But it’s not something new. Co-op were selling outdoor reared pork nearly 10 years ago. It was all stopped years ago when they wanted to make more money. Now they have relaunched it. We should be supporting them in this. Then they might look at improving welfare for other species like chickens.
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This is good news. Are you looking at the possibility of selling “continental meats” such as salamis and chorizo which is now being produced in the UK?
These terms such as outdoor reared can be confusing. Can we explain them more widely in stores? It is great that sows spend all their lives outdoors which they enjoy. When piglets are weaned they seem quite content to come into straw bedded light airy barns. Pigs spend a lot of time sleeping!
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What guarantee that it isn’t Halaal?
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Hi Philleech, No Co-op Branded meat is halal. ^Siobhan
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Hi Gillian, The sows are free from confinement and pigs are able to fully express their natural behaviours. Furthermore, the 100% outdoor bred promise is set to be rolled out across both standard and premium Co-op ranges. They are outdoors for their entire lives and are
raised in light, naturally ventilated barns with lots of straw and space. ^Siobhan
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Thanks for your reply. You say they are outdoors for their entire lives but are raised in barns,and I still feel there is a doubt about “outdoor bred”,if they really are outdoors why not call them outdoor reared, or free range? regards, Gillian Langton
On Thu, Jul 12, 2018 at 9:24 AM, The Co-op Blog wrote:
> Co-op commented: “Hi Gillian, The sows are free from confinement and pigs > are able to fully express their natural behaviours. Furthermore, the 100% > outdoor bred promise is set to be rolled out across both standard and > premium Co-op ranges. They are outdoors for their entir” >
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Outdoor bred is a very unclear description; it doesn’t mean outdoor reared or free range. I think everyone should ditch this description and be more truthful about exact state in which pigs live. Also, there have been some awful animal welfare issues on “RSPCA farm assured” making it very hard for consumers to know the truth!
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