Tesco stores across Northern Ireland are now using sandwiches sourced in Ireland instead of the UK after the supermarket giant quietly switched suppliers.
Some people have been left confused and disappointed by extensive line-up changes and a recent price rise.
The Tesco meal deal, a staple for office workers and labourers alike, has seen stock levels in Northern Ireland change over the past number of years.
Tesco recently increased the price of its meal deal offering to £3.40 to £3.60 for Clubcard users and £3.90 to £4 for those without a Clubcard.
The issue hit the headlines in January 2021 as the sudden imposition of the Northern Ireland Protocol and the associated post-Brexit hiccups caused headaches for the supermarket chains.
At the time, Tesco described this as a “challenge but not a crisis”.
In June 2021, Tesco revealed that it had started to source more of its products locally to avoid empty shelves in the north.
There have also been past stock issues due to adverse weather and shipping delays, resulting in Northern Ireland stock losing days of freshness and increasing food waste.
The Irish News approached Tesco and asked whether post-Brexit difficulties were a factor in its decision, a spokesperson said “our principal reason for changing supplier is about reducing waste”.
“To suggest anything else would be misleading,” he added.
Previously widely available options such as tuna and sweetcorn pasta, chicken and bacon pasta as well bacon with ketchup sandwiches have disappeared from the fridges of Tesco stores across Northern Ireland.
First introduced by Boots in the 1980s, the meal deal has become a key ingredient in the diet of British and Irish office workers and labourers alike.
Across Britain and the Republic, Tesco distributes its own brand sandwiches for meal deals.
Sandwiches made by both Scribbles and Deli Lites, which is based in Warrenpoint, are also available in Tesco stores in both Northern Ireland and the Republic.
According to Tesco’s UK website, the range of Tesco own brand meal deal mains come to a total of 37 sandwiches, 11 wraps, 11 pasta boxes and 10 filled rolls available to customers.
For Tesco Ireland, this drops to just 12 sandwiches, eight wraps, three pasta boxes and no filled rolls for lunch eaters.
It is unclear how much of this is available to customers north of the border.
