US food processing standards not good enough for Tesco's Fresh & Easy

Tesco has become a food manufacturer for the first time as part of its efforts to win over US shoppers.

The UK food chain, which has more than a 30 per cent share of supermarket shopping in its home market, has built an 80,000 sq ft food preparation facility - dubbed the Fresh &Easy kitchen - at its central distribution centre in Riverside county, east of Los Angeles.

Tesco wants its prepared meals, such as chicken curry, sushi rolls and Caesar salads, to be an important part of the appeal of its Fresh &Easy neighbourhood stores. But it decided to set up its own kitchen rather than use third-party suppliers because of concerns over prevailing US standards in the sector.