An audit carried out by Bord Bia of Irish retailers using the Quality Assurance (QA) logo on fresh meat has shown a major differential between the best-performing and worst-performing chains.

The survey, which was conducted throughout quarter two of this year, shows that Aldi had the highest proportion of fresh meat in its stores carrying the QA logo at 77% while EuroSpar had the lowest with less than half that figure (38%).

This is the second consecutive time in which Aldi has topped the Bord Bia survey.

The next highest after Aldi was Tesco with 71% and Dunnes Stores and Centra were joint third with 68%.

Surprisingly, SuperValu, which recently stated that it “sells more Bord Bia approved meat than any other retailer”, came in fourth in the Bord Bia audit with 66% of meat carrying the Bord Bia logo. A spokesperson for Aldi welcomed the publication of the survey.

“It shows that Aldi continues to lead the way, giving customers the highest proportion of Bord Bia approved meats of all the supermarkets in Ireland. Our customers tell us that they like to buy Irish and support local producers ... That’s why we source all our fresh meat exclusively from farms in the Republic of Ireland that are certified under the Bord Bia scheme.”

According to Bord Bia, products covered in the audit are “bacon, beef, burgers, chicken, cooked ham, duck, lamb, pork, rashers, sausages and turkey”.

It says that each product was assessed based on the percentage of “facings” (individual products on shelf) with the Bord Bia Quality Assurance logo.

The survey was carried out by a team of independent auditors for Bord Bia. Two stores from nine different retailers were sampled and tested.

Bord Bia says that 93% of consumers here are now “aware” of the Quality Assurance logo.