France's Mousquetaires Group, incorporating Agromousquetaires and Intermarché, has signed a deal with ELVEA France, the representative group for cattle breeders in the country.
The aim of the agreement is to deliver the 'shortest path from the producer to the consumer', Intermarché said in a statement, with the retailer linked to ELVEA breeders in each region in France, to ensure a short supply chain.
In addition, all ELVEA breeders are committed to animal welfare and the environment, ensuing high quality, sustainable produce makes it to the shelves.
Local Produce
"Our commitment to proximity and to every link in the chain is reflected in local sourcing and control over the production chain, which enables us to offer this product from farms close to our customers," commented Stéphane de Fontenay, president of Intermarché's 'Super' retail format.
According to ELVEA, the partnership with Intermarché will also ensure a 'fair and profitable price' is paid for meat products, while greater transparency along the supply chain will also be a benefit.
"The contract includes a guaranteed minimum price, indexed to elements of production cost," said ELVEA president Philippe Auger. "With this contract, which goes from the farmer to the point of sale, the cost price of the animals is finally taken into account."
As many as 100 stores will sign up to the programme in the last quarter of 2018, according to Intermarché, while this will be extended to nearly 400 stores in 2019.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
