![]() Brown eggs were introduced and quite quickly took over with consumers seeing them as being more wholesome and better for you, which isn't the case, and preference became firmly established.' Jean-Paul explains: 'In the 1950s and 60s white eggs were the norm. ![]() Supermarkets have stocked primarily brown eggs since the 1970s because they became popular with shoppers back then. All that hard work and collaboration has meant we've been able to keep serving our customers and support farmers who have been hit hardest by the pandemic.' 'I feel incredibly proud of the team at both Tesco and Noble. It might have meant working all hours, but for Mark the effort was absolutely worth it. The relationship with Tesco meant Noble was able to work quickly to stop these eggs going to waste and help fill shelves for the nation. 'Our white eggs were being used to supply a large global restaurant chain which unfortunately had to close its doors during the lockdown,' Jean-Paul says. When Covid hit and cafés and restaurants closed, many farmers had nowhere to take their produce, even though shoppers were buying more eggs than ever. White eggs usually are used by the country's restaurants, although they are exactly the same in taste and nutritional value as their brown counterpartsĪs the head of a team that rears around 4.5 million chickens a year, works with 360 farms and packs over 50 million eggs per week, Jean-Paul Michalski, Company Farms Director at Noble Foods, is used to a logistical issue or two.īut even he admits the challenge presented by COVID-19 has been exceptional. ![]() This was to check that Tesco’s experts were happy they met all its usual standards, something Tesco and Noble worked on together to get the eggs on to shelves in double quick time. While social distancing restrictions mean it’s been harder to visit the farms in person as much as usual, Mark’s team has been talking with Noble several times a week to get the extra eggs into Tesco boxes and out to customers.īefore they could be sold in Tesco stores, the eggs had to go through a technical and agricultural sign off process. It meant we could pick up the phone and work on a way to solve problems together in real time.' The close relationship we have with Noble has been incredibly important. 'We've been working flat out to increase production which has meant lots of phone and video calls with suppliers and my team. 'During the pandemic we've been in constant conversation to work through challenges together, and make sure customers can get the food they need. ![]() When COVID-19 hit and cafés and restaurants closed, many farmers had nowhere to take their produce, even though shoppers were buying more eggs than ever In this case, taking that surplus stock off Noble Foods’ hands also helped Tesco deal with the surge in demand for eggs it was seeing across the country. This has become more common in recent weeks as farmers who used to sell to restaurants and hospitality have found they have produce they can’t distribute. His team is regularly in touch with the supermarket’s supplier partners to understand what’s happening on site and how Tesco can support them, for example by taking excess produce from them to save it going to waste. 'My job has always involved working hand in hand with suppliers to ensure they have the right products each week, at the right volumes, in our stores,' explains Mark, who has worked for Tesco for over 20 years. Mark Suddaby, Category Director at Tesco, reveals minute by minute reactive decisions were behind this logistical effort to keep shelves stocked. Together, they were able to re-purpose an astonishing 900,000 white eggs every week that were destined for the country's now closed-down restaurants and food service.Ĭompletely restructuring a vast national distribution system in days was a serious challenge. The versatility of eggs, along with Britain’s lockdown baking efforts, meant Tesco saw a 30 per cent increase in demandįaced with record demand, Tesco worked with its long-term supplier Noble Foods, which represents over 360 farms and has worked with Tesco for over 40 years, to hatch an ingenious plan.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |