Tesco has today (Monday, May 25) introduced range of lower carbon Irish beef products in its supermarkets.

Developed by Tesco in partnership with Kepak, the carbon footprint of the Bright Meat Company range has been independently verified by the Carbon Trust.

When compared to data from the Bord Bia Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme (SBLAS), the new range was found to be up to 23% lower than other equivalent Irish beef meat cuts or finished products.

Beef

All beef for the Bright Meat Company is supplied through the Twenty20 Beef Club, a network of over 600 Irish farmers operating through Kepak and Tirlán's integrated supply chain.

The programme supports farmers to adopt more sustainable farming practices that help reduce environmental impact while maintaining high standards of animal welfare and beef quality.

Kepak worked with the Carbon Trust to calculate and independently verify the entire carbon footprint of individual Bright Meat Company products.

Each eligible product carries the Carbon Trust footprint label on pack, confirming a lower carbon footprint than comparable Irish beef products on the market.

Geoff Byrne, chief executive of Tesco Ireland and Northern Ireland, said the introduction of this range is a direct response to growing consumer demand for lower-carbon food choices and is a first-to-market launch in Irish retail.

"At Tesco, we know our customers want food that delivers on taste, quality, and value, but they also want to understand the impact of the choices they make.

"The new Bright Meat Company range offers customers excellent quality Irish products they can feel good about putting into their baskets.

"We are committed to collaborating with farmers, supply chain partners, and independent experts to support more sustainable food choices as we work towards our ambition to be net zero across the value chain by 2050," he said.

Carbon footprints

The new range was launched by Geoff Byrne and Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon.

The minister said that "promotion of sustainable food can hugely benefit Ireland, as a food producer, into the future".

"This initiative demonstrates how collaboration across farming, processing and retail underpinned by independent verification by the Carbon Trust can successfully lead to lower carbon footprints, while maintaining the high standards for quality that Irish beef is known for," Minister Heydon added.

Brian Tormey, Kepak chief executive, said the company sees this as "another step in strengthening the long-term competitiveness and credibility of our beef".

"It is important that we continue to work collaboratively with farmers, customers, Tirlán and our other industry partners to deliver measurable progress in a practical and commercially sustainable way," he said.

Tiph Aries, associate director of agriculture, food and drink, Carbon Trust added that consumers "still want clear, trustworthy information – and that's exactly what this verification delivers".

"By independently verifying the carbon product footprints of the Bright Meat Company range, we're helping communicate in a way shoppers can recognise and trust at the point of purchase," she said.