A new range of low-carbon Irish beef has been launched by Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon and Tesco CEO Geoff Byrne.

The range is now available exclusively on Tesco shelves across the country and online.

The Bright Meat Company range has been developed by Tesco in partnership with Kepak and the Twenty20 Beef Club.

The carbon footprint of the beef range is independently verified by the Carbon Trust combining excellent quality and taste with carbon footprint transparency.

The carbon footprint of the product range has been shown to be up to 23% lower than other equivalent Irish beef meat cuts or finished products when compared to data from the Bord Bia Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme.

This means consumers can see verified ‘lower than’ claims on packs to help them to make more informed food choices.

With growing consumer demand for lower-carbon food products, this range acts as a direct response and a first-to-market launch in Irish retail.

Collaboration

“This initiative demonstrates how collaboration across farming, processing and retail – underpinned by independent verification – can successfully support more sustainable food production, while maintaining the high standards for quality that Irish beef is known for. Promotion of sustainable food can hugely benefit Ireland, as a food producer, into the future,” Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon said.

Taste

“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,” Geoff Byrne CEO of Tesco Ireland and Northern Ireland said.

“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.”

“Achieving independent certification from the Carbon Trust is an important milestone for Kepak and reflects the work being done across our business and supply chain to build a more sustainable and resilient beef production model,” Brian Tormey CEO of Kepak said.

“It is important that we continue to work collaboratively with farmers, customers and industry partners to deliver measurable progress in a practical and commercially sustainable way. We see this as another step in strengthening the long-term competitiveness and credibility of our beef.”