Sainsbury’s shoppers can now buy BGA-approved partridge, pheasant and venison

Sainsbury’s customers can now buy pheasant, venison and partridge that has been approved by the British Game Alliance (BGA). Assured products will feature the BGA kitemark which guarantees the provenance of the game meat.

Game featuring the BGA kitemark

Pheasant Breast Fillets and Diced Game Casserole Mix produced by North Yorkshire-based Holme Farmed Venison are being offered on the supermarket’s shelves. The game will sit alongside Sainsbury’s Scottish Wild TTD Range and Holme Farmed Venison’s own branded Parkland range of Venison. Around half a million game birds will be used in the products and all have been sourced from estates independently checked by the BGA for high welfare and environmental standards.

A key advance

The BGA says that that supermarket availability is a key advance for the game meat sector.

Liam Stokes, BGA Chief Executive, commented:  “This represents a huge step forward for game meat. The sector has introduced and embraced independent assurance for game shoots, and the public can now see the results of those efforts and find assured game on their supermarket shelves.

“Game shoots now have access to credible assurance that the public can recognise alongside the familiar kitemarks they expect to see on their farmed food. The more the public see assured game as an ethical, assured product they can put in their trolleys, the more secure game shooting will be.”

Sainsbury’s is the first major supermarket to carry BGA kitemarked products so far. However there are many other assured BGA stockists around the country which can be found here, where the kitemark is featured.

Many local butchers and outlets have been keen to support the initiative with game sustainably sourced from local shoots and many offer an online service, enabling customers to book door-to-door deliveries.

Online grocery shopping has doubled since the coronavirus lockdown and this trend is expected to continue. One in four consumers buys food online weekly.