Asda makes huge change to popular product across UK supermarkets

Asda has ditched its policy of only selling British-sourced fresh chicken as the UK grapples with supply issues. The retailer has been selling 1kg chicken fillet portions under the Just Essentials value tier in recent months. website states that Just Essentials is a range of simply priced and packaged cheap foods to suit every budget.

The meat for this range is now being sourced from via its supplier – the 2 Sisters Food Group. The Just Essentials chicken range costs £6.29 per kg and only appears to be available in-stores, not online. The poutlry is reared in Germany and slaughtered in the Netherlands, according to

It marks the first time in two decades has moved away from 100% British fresh chicken lines, industry insiders told the outlet.

An Asda spokesman said this was largely due to “current supply challenges” in the poultry market, claiming it was a “temporary” decision to source the Just Essentials line “from EU and UK farms”.

He added: “We continue to source all our other fresh primal chicken from UK Red Tractor Assured farms.”

The supermarket still sources 98% of its fresh primal chicken from British farms, the retailer says. 

The spokesman added that Asda will “ensure customers can continue to find the essential products they need at the prices they expect when they shop with us”.

It comes as the wider UK industry grapples with supply problems, with one insider telling the specialist publication “there isn’t enough chicken to go round”. This comes as an outbreak of avian flu has caused a crisis in the poultry sector.

Bird flu outbreaks across the country has forced many British farmers to cut back on or stop production. For smaller farms, it is particularly difficult to stay viable due to rising costs for feed, vaccines, and hygiene measures.

According to some reports, chicken expenses in the UK have surged by more than 25% in the 12 months to January 2025.