UK retailer Tesco to stop sales of settlement produce

Jewish Chronicle reports British supermarket giant Tesco to suspend sales of products originating from West Bank starting this September. Chain says 'decision was not political, has nothing to do with Gaza'

Published:  / Israel News

Tesco, the UK's largest supermarket chain, has decided to cease all sales of products originating from the West Bank, the Jewish Chronicle reported on Monday. The decision will go into effect starting this September.

According to the report, a Tesco spokesman stressed that the decision was not politically motivated" and not related to the current Gaza-Israel conflict during Operation Protective Edge, but rather was made as part of a "regular product review process”. The news website said that the only product sourcing in the West Bank that the chain currently stocks was dates, and that it will cease its importation.

 

However, the Jewish Chronicle also reported that two healthcare and beauty product companies told its reporters that Tesco had requested that they provide them with lists of all products and ingredients they import from Israel and the Palestinian territories, and that the chain had asked for the said information in light of inquiries from customers.

 

The chain spokesman said: “We have received some questions from customers about products we sell that are sourced from Israel or the West Bank."

 

“To make sure we answered their questions with the most accurate and up to date information, we contacted suppliers to double check our own information, particularly for branded products.

 

We have no plans to change our position on sourcing from Israel.”