The Tesco Pork Range

Pigs can be grown in a wide variety of systems and we try to sell and label a wide choice of these for our customers.  Within the UK there are some key areas where pigs tend to be farmed such as Scotland, East Anglia, Yorkshire and some parts of the South West. 

British pig farmers have had to meet some stringent welfare legislation which has been put in place over the past decade, including a ban on stalls and tethers, which have been shown to severely restrict natural behaviour.  At Tesco, we have a policy of insisting on equivalent standards wherever we source from, so regardless of country of origin, no Tesco brand pork or pork products will come from systems which use stalls or tethers.
 
At Tesco, we sell pork and pork products from 5 key different production systems:

Standard and Value pork
Outdoor-bred pork
Outdoor-reared pork
Organic pork

Tesco Standard and Value Pork

All of the farms we source from are audited every year by independent auditors to ensure they meet the requirements of strict farm assurance schemes.  The pigs in these ranges are generally born and kept indoors for their whole lives in well ventilated barns.  Veterinary health plans are in place on all farms, as well as strict feed standards.  They are fed a diet consisting mainly of cereals along with vitamins and minerals to maintain optimum health.

Tesco Outdoor Bred Pork

All of the farms we source from are audited every year by independent auditors to ensure they meet the requirements of strict farm assurance schemes.  The sows are kept in free-range paddocks, and there piglets go into well ventilated straw barns at weaning. Veterinary health plans are in place on all farms, as well as strict feed standards.  They are fed a diet consisting mainly of cereals along with vitamins and minerals to maintain optimum health

Tesco Finest Outdoor Reared Pork

Our finest outdoor-reared pork comes from dedicated farms in East Anglia.  All the farms are approved by the RSPCA Freedom Foods scheme and independently inspected every year.  The sows are kept in free-range paddocks and the piglets are not housed in straw barns until they are 3 months old.  Our farmers use breeds especially chosen for hardiness so they can thrive in outdoor conditions.

Tesco Organic Standards

Our organic pig farms are independently audited by one of the organic certification bodies, such as Soil Association or Organic Food Federation.  The pigs must have access to the outdoors and are fed an organic cereal diet.

For further detailed technical information on Tesco pork standards please click here

Return to Livestock Standards