Tesco to create 200 jobs here as it admits meat labelling error in UK

Tesco has announced it will create more than 200 jobs in Ireland over the next year as the company was hit by another meat labelling scandal in the UK.

At least 80 of the jobs are to be created before Christmas as the retailer invests €70m in its Irish operations.

More than half of the new jobs will be based in five new Express convenience stores in Cork (Douglas Road), College Green (Dublin), Dorset St (Dublin), Leonard’s Corner (Dublin) and Glasnevin Avenue (Dublin).

A further 14 jobs will also be created with the opening of new Tesco Mobile phone shops in Tesco stores in Maynooth, Tallaght, Drogheda, Clearwater (Dublin), Wilton (Cork) and Clarehall (Dublin).

The company is also recruiting 18 third-level graduates to be based in stores around the country and at Tesco’s head office in Dun Laoghaire.

Tesco Ireland CEO Philip J Clarke said that he was delighted to be announcing jobs particularly the doubling of the number of graduate recruits.

“These permanent new jobs and new stores will help boost local economic activity at a difficult time for the Irish economy. With over 15,000 employees, Tesco is one of the biggest private sector employers in the country and offers exciting career development opportunities in Ireland and internationally,” he said.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and & the Marine, Simon Coveney, said Tesco was of great benefit to the Irish food and drink sector.

“Local sales of food and drink products also translate into jobs in retail and the supply and distribution chain — as well as supporting producers in every county.

“Tesco brings to retail a wealth of consumer insight and the jobs which will now be created offer great opportunities to acquire high quality skills which are in demand in today’s consumer-led economy, ” he said.

However, in Britain, Tesco was one of several retailers forced to withdraw some goods and apologise to customers over incorrect labelling.

“We are extremely disappointed to discover a pork loin product probably came from a Dutch farm, not a British farm,” a Tesco spokesman said.

“When we specify that we want British pork, we expect to be supplied with British pork. We have spoken with our supplier to make clear that this mistake is unacceptable,” the spokesperson said.

The pork issue emerged after pork purchased in a Tesco store in Salford, north west England, by a reporter working for BBC Radio 4, was tested in a German laboratory using Stable Isotope Ratio Analysis.

A spokesperson for Tesco Ireland said that the product was not sold here.

“All of our fresh pork in Ireland is Irish fresh pork. Our Irish fresh pork is all sourced under the Bord Bia quality approval scheme,” he said.

Tesco exports €705.8m of Irish food products to the Tesco business worldwide — mainly to the UK and other European countries — making Tesco the second largest market for Irish food exports worldwide, exceeding exports to France, Germany or US.

Tesco accounts for up to 9% of Irish food exports.