Walmart to Create Angus Beef Supply Chain

Walmart has announced its entry into the beef industry, developing an end-to-end supply chain for Angus beef.

The retailer has been working to improve the quality of its food offerings, with its fresh division and meat department at the forefront of the effort.

Walmart said it is working with best-in-class partners, including Texas rancher Bob McClaren of Prime Pursuits, to ensure supply of quality Angus beef and to meet customer demand for a more transparent supply chain.

"As clean labels, traceability and transparency become more and more important to customers, we've made plans to enter into the beef industry creating an unmatched system that allows us to deliver consistent quality and value," Scott Neal, senior vice president for meat at Walmart U.S., said in a news release.

A selection of Angus beef cuts such as steaks and roasts from the new supply chain will be sold in 500 Walmart stores across states in the southeast including Georgia, Alabama and Florida.

More than 250 jobs will be created at Creekstone Farms' beef processing facility in Kansas, and another 200 plus jobs created in Georgia, where the retailer owns a case-ready facility that will be run by FPL Food.

"Walmart has listened to its hard-working customers and taken on the monumental task of providing steakhouse quality, natural Black Angus beef to their local stores. This bold vision will not only elevate backyard barbeques and family dinner tables across the country, but transform the entire supply chain," said Hank McWhorter of Mc6 Cattle Feeders.