Compass to use only British beef from October

Compass Group has announced that from October all of its fresh beef will be sourced from Britain.

The contract caterer purchases more than 2,000 tonnes of fresh beef every year, spending in the region of £6m annually.

Chris Ling, meat buyer at Compass, said: “The purchasing team is constantly looking for ways to improve the sustainability of the food we source and committing to British beef is just one step for us in improving our provenance. 

“We want to explore more avenues to ensure we use ingredients of the highest quality and support our local farmers and growers wherever possible.”

Ensors, Nigel Fredericks and Campbells are the principal approved beef suppliers which will provide fresh minced and diced beef, joints and steaks to the 7,000 sites across the UK.

“There are a lot of claims about local sourcing and much debate about what buying ‘local’ means,” added Ling.

“By working with these suppliers Compass can guarantee that all beef used by Compass Group UK will be from cattle born, reared and slaughtered in the UK.”

Ensors managing director Steve Leyman commended Compass for their decision to use only British fresh beef.

The ratio of fresh beef used by Compass in comparison to frozen beef is approximately 5:1.

The move comes following the start of British Food Fortnight, which runs from 19 September to 4 October 2009.

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By Janie Stamford

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