October 4, 2013

Iceland exports 140 tonnes lamb meat to Whole Foods Market

About 140 tonnes of lamb meat have already been exported to Whole Foods Market in the US and another 110 tonnes more will be shipped, according to Magnús Freyr Jónsson, CEO of KVH slaughterhouse in Hvammstangi in Northwest Iceland.

The slaughterhouse has been selling fresh and unfrozen lamb meat to Whole Foods Market in the USA since 2010. The meat is obviously sold as a luxury product and labelled with the Icelandic flag.

"In 2007 we exported 25 tonnes but last year [2012] we exported 190 tonnes of meat", says Jónsson.

He says that around 10% of the slaughterhouse's production is exported to the USA and that Whole Foods buys all parts of the lamb.

Earlier this month a group of Whole Food employees came to the country for the company's annual fall trip. The purpose of the trip was to introduce Iceland to lamb meat salespeople.