Asda, the UK supermarket arm of Wal-Mart Stores, today (17 May) announced that it plans to invest GBP27m (US$43.8m) in improving the quality of its fresh food business.
The UK’s second largest supermarket chain said that it has increased the number of quality assurance inspectors operating across its depots and supplier farms, meaning that it can increase the frequency of quality control checks in its supply chain.
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Asda also introduced butchery specifications on all its fresh meat items. The company said that this means customers should be able to see improvements in key products such as sirloin and rump steaks, pork loins and legs of lamb.
Additionally, Asda said that it will have a wider fresh produce source-base following the acquisition of importer International Produce Limited by Wal-Mart.
Andy Clarke, Asda president and CEO, said: “We are investing GBP27m introducing market-leading quality specifications across all of our fresh meat and produce. And through a combination of significantly more quality controls on our farms and in our depots, and by removing unnecessary middlemen along the way, we’ve been able to enhance the quality of our fresh food and keep prices low for customers.”
In a separate announcement today, Wal-Mart said Asda had made a “good” start to the year in its first quarter, with underlying sales – excluding the VAT hike and impact of the late Easter – up 0.8%.
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