Supermarkets Tesco and Asda will be joining Co-op, Morrisons, Waitrose, Aldi and Sainsbury’s as they pledge to stop buying Russian products as a result of the country’s war against Ukraine.
Asda will be removing about 100 products from its shelves and website – mostly spirits, but the list also includes fish and some sweets.
Asda’s co-owner Mohsin Issa said: “We stand with our customers and colleagues who are shocked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine – and our thoughts are with those people whose lives are affected by this crisis.”
However, Tesco will not be removing any products from its shelves, simply choosing not to place any further orders with suppliers.
Read more: Sainsbury’s and M&S respond as supermarkets urged to ditch Chicken ‘Kiev’ for ‘Kyiv’
A spokesperson for Tesco stated that it would no longer be “buying products from businesses that are wholly Russian-owned”.
A statement from the supermarket read: “We are supporting humanitarian relief efforts through our partnerships with the Red Cross, food banks and other relief organisations to help those affected in Ukraine and neighbouring countries.”
Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Morrisons Aldi and Co-op have all promised to remove Russian-made vodka from their shelves, as well as other products which are made in Russia.
Russian Standard vodka, which was founded by a Russian billionaire and continues to be made in Russia, has now been stripped from the shelves across most UK supermarkets.
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