Butchers see sales rise amid horse meat scandal
AUTHENTICATED MEAT!. . . .Ciaran O'Kane, O'Kane Meats, Claudy, pictured serving customer Nicola McSparron this week. 1402JM20
Local butchers have reported a surge in sales amid the ongoing supermarket horse meat scandal.
One local butcher said sales have spiked by 30% on some products as shoppers flock back to the High Street for meat.
In the latest revelations in the ongoing saga - coming in the wake of frozen food retailer Findus confirming some of their beef products contained 100% horse meat - retail giant Tesco has apologised after tests revealed horse meat was also present in its beef burgers.
Earlier this week police and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) raided a slaughterhouse in West Yorkshire, and meat processing plant Farmbox Meats near Aberystwyth, Wales. The FSA said their inquiry into the scandal will be “relentless”.
Michael O’Kane of O’Kane Butchers in Claudy said customers seem to have lost faith in supermarkets and frozen mass produced meat products as the horse meat revelations continue.
“Overall we would say sales are up generally by about 10% but on beef burgers alone that rises to about 30%. We have seen plenty of new faces coming through our doors. People know they can trust the local butcher,” he said.
He said for many traceability and accountability were key factors for local shoppers.
“Customers are definitely returning to the small independent butcher.
“There is no Mr Tesco or Mr Asda who can answer their questions.This whole thing has been driven by price, but with your local butcher it’s about quality.”
Paul McFadden of Paul’s Butchers on Derry’s Culmore Road said they had also benefitted from the continuing revelations.
“Business is definitely up over the past few weeks, it’s up by around 12-15%,” he said.
“People want to know that they can have confidence in what they are buying and they know that our products are all locally sourced.” he said.
Meanwhile we’re keen to know how the horsemeat revelations have impacted on how you shop for meat and are running an online poll asking if the scandal has made you think twice about buying processed meat products. Visit derryjournal.com to cast your vote.
You can also have your say by commenting online on our site or getting involved at www.facebook.com/derryjournal or tweet @derryjournal
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Saturday 25 May 2013
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