Supermarkets step up steak promotions to help farmers

The AHDB has welcomed supermarket promotions on steak products to help beef farmers deal with the loss of the food service market.

Farmers are struggling due to a drop in demand for more premium cuts, which has caused the value of beef to fall by as much as 15% across the market.

But supermarkets have stepped up promotions to support British farmers, who are working hard to feed the nation during the coronavirus pandemic.

Waitrose has responded with its biggest-yet promotional push on steak products, which includes offers on selected pre-packed and meat counter steaks in April, May and June, including sirloin, rib, rump and tomahawk cuts.

Morrisons is selling steaks for half price at its new in-store steak and BBQ bars, with fillet, sirloin, ribeye and rump all on offer.

David Potts, chief executive of Morrisons, said the new steak bars would help provide a home for some of the top-quality meat produced by British farmers.

Marks and Spencer has launched a 100% British meat food box, which includes Aberdeen Angus casserole steak and rump steak.

The retailer said it is increasing promotions on steaks to help farmers deal with carcase balancing.

Lidl and Aldi have also increased promotions on steak products.

Consumer campaign

It comes after the AHDB launched a campaign which aims to inspire consumers to create restaurant-style meals at home, using high-quality cuts from British beef.

It will run for 12 weeks on TV, radio and social media – where there will be videos with cooking tips, including how to cook the perfect steak.

The levy board has teamed up with Quality Meat Scotland and Hybu Cig Cymru on the £1.2m campaign, which is funded by money set aside by the three levy bodies for collaborative projects.

Liam Byrne, AHDB’s head of meat marketing, said: “We have seen a fantastic response from retailers to help bring some balance to the meat supply chain, with a number of supermarkets bringing steak and other hind quarter cuts to the fore.

“It is key that we give consumers the confidence and inspiration to cook with steak and other beef cuts.

“This is the base of the industry’s most recent social media campaign #makeitsteak with a #steaknight, which aims to rally the meat industry and chefs to engage with consumers and show them just how easy it is to enjoy restaurant-quality steaks in the comfort of their own homes.”