Metro to locally source all store brand chicken in Quebec stores

Montreal-based Metro Inc. said all chicken used for its Irresistibles brand products sold in Metro, Super C and Marché Richelieu stores in Quebec will be farmed and processed in the province. The announcement marks the first anniversary of Metro’s local purchasing policy, which the company announced on May 1, 2013, and is intended to optimize the accessibility and promotion of local products for its customers.

Sourcing of all five Irresistibles products — namely two breast cuts, whole chickens, drumsticks and thighs — has been entrusted to Les Viandes Central Bernard in Montreal and Distribution La Préférence in Laval, which will ensure that chicken from Quebec is isolated in the supply and processing chain. To make all five Irresistibles products — including three Irresistibles Life Smart products — easier to locate, packaging will bear the Aliments du Québec logo.

“This initiative is in keeping with the spirit of the local purchasing policy announced in May of 2013, one of the three guiding principles of which consists of making Metro a privileged partner of Aliments du Québec,” said Serge Boulanger, senior vice president, national procurement and corporate brands, Metro.

“Chicken is very popular with Quebecers; requiring that our private label chicken products intended for our Quebec customers be sourced locally will allow us to offer them quality products whose origin will be Quebec certified," he added. "Our fresh chicken offerings are already in very large part from Quebec. But we decided to go even further by guaranteeing 100 percent Quebec offerings for our private label.”

Irresistibles fresh chicken is 100 percent air-chilled, which provides it with an ideal cooking texture, Metro explained. It's tasty, tender and easy to prepare, along with being a healthy choice. It is corn-, barley- and oat-grain-fed, and does not contain any preservatives. Fully trimmed, it's a good source of protein without the fat.