IFA outrage over SuperValu Argentine beef

04-Mar-2019 - Last updated on 04-Mar-2019 at 10:50 GMT

Credit: Irish Farmers Association

The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) has called on SuperValu parent company Musgrave to explain the origin of some of its beef products.

The trade body visited a SuperValu branch in Cashel, Co Tipperary after it was discovered it had sold beef labelled as ‘Argentinian strip loin steak’.

IFA president Joe Healy said: “While SuperValu is claiming that the Argentinian in the title refers to the sauce, IFA is insisting that Musgrave, SuperValu’s parent company make an immediate public statement on the matter.

“Beef farmers are going through an incredibly difficult time and the very least we would expect is that all Irish stores would stock only Irish meat,” he added

South Tipperary IFA chair Erica O’Keeffe said that local farmers were “shocked” to find beef labelled in this manner.

“There is no Bord Bía Quality Mark on the product or any other information about the source of the beef,” she said.

The IFA recently took Kerry Foods to task over the sourcing of poultry for its Denny brand. The farmers staged a protest outside Kerry Foods’ Wicklow facility last month.

In a statement to GlobalMeatNews, a SuperValu spokesperson said: “Following a discussion with the owner of Supervalu Cashel, we can confirm that the product in question is Irish striploin steak, with an Argentinian hot sauce rub. The product label, in this instance, may have caused confusion.

“SuperValu’s overall policy is that all of our fresh beef is 100% Irish and sourced from trusted farmers.”