The Speaker
Thursday, 28 March 2024 – 23:38

Food and other products in surplus amid Coronavirus lockdown measures

Members of the public are being encouraged to eat more steak, chips and cheese due to a surplus of the foods caused by the Coronavirus lockdown measures.

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board has launched a £1.2m campaign to encourage Britons to have more steak nights at home. The 12-week campaign, in partnership with Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and Wales’ Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC), is designed to inspire people to ‘Make It’ with beef.

The campaign will see the release of ‘how-to videos’, cooking tips and influencer content as more expensive cuts of meats have been going unsold due to the closure of restaurants by COVID-19 Coronavirus lockdown measures.

In a joint statement about the campaign, the industry groups said;

 “This is a unique joint effort by AHDB, QMS and HCC which we hope will drive an uptake in steak and roasting joint sales in the run up to barbecue season. It’s a fantastic opportunity for everyone to get involved and create some amazing dishes in their own kitchens.”

Some supermarkets have slashed the price of steaks, including Morrisons. An 8oz fillet steak cost just £3.52 at the supermarket this week, compared to the previous price of £7.04. The prices of steak are the lowest since 1989 according to the supermarket, which is aiming to reduce the surplus of meat caused by the virus pandemic.

Meanwhile, people are being encouraged to eat more cheese in France with sales largely falling during the lockdown, and Belgians are being encouraged to consume more fries to help the potato industry.

It is understood that storage facilities for foods are near to capacity due to people being unable to eat out during lockdown measures. The lockdown measures, which have been in place in many countries since mid to late March, have also resulted in many bars and restaurants struggling financially and independents and chains such as Carluccio’s falling into administration.

It is unclear when people may be able to eat out again in the UK. Some countries have set out lockdown exit plans, such as Ireland which is hoping to restaurants from June 29th, however, the UK is yet to make any such announcements.

It’s not just meat that is in surplus amid the Coronavirus pandemic – there have been surpluses building of milk and other dairy products, surpluses of stock for fast-fashion retailers and storage space for oil has been running out, causing the price of US oil to collapse.

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