Cornish growers for Asda will be delivering their produce straight into store as part of a pilot scheme to cut down on food miles and promote local produce.
Three groups of growers will take part in the two-month scheme, supplying the chain with strawberries, potatoes, cabbages, cauliflower, leeks and curly kale. They will deliver produce to nominated Hayle strawberry grower, Neil Hosking, who will pack it and transport it to stores in Falmouth, St.Austell, Bodmin and Plymouth.
Traditionally, Asda’s Cornish produce is taken on a 280-mile round-trip to a Bristol depot before hitting shelves. Asda estimates the pilot scheme could save around 6,000 road miles each month.
Once in-store, all produce will carry a ‘Produce of Cornwall’ logo, and will be presented in baskets to create a “farm store feel”.
While Asda has trialled delivering direct to stores in the past, the scheme marks the first concerted effort to get a wide range of produce delivered straight to local stores.
Jayson Clark of supermarket supplier AMS, responsible for Asda’s British produce, said: “Asda has been [doing this with] strawberries for six years and then last year we started doing a few apples in a build-up to where we are going now, but they were just a warm-up for what we hope will be a massive programme.”
If deemed successful, the scheme could be rolled out across the UK - potentially saving three million road miles a year.
