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Britain approves Moderna Covid-19 vaccine for use

Britain approves Moderna Covid-19 vaccine for use

BRITAIN's medical regulator on Friday(8) approved Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine for use, the health ministry said, adding that it had agreed to purchase an additional 10 million doses of the shot as it eyed a spring rollout of the shot.

Three Covid-19 vaccines have now been approved for use in Britain, with Pfizer/BioNTech's shot and one developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca already being rolled out.


Britain now has 17 million doses of Moderna's vaccine on order, and supplies will begin to be delivered to the UK from spring once Moderna expands its production capability.

"We have already vaccinated nearly 1.5 million people across the UK and Moderna’s vaccine will allow us to accelerate our vaccination programme even further once doses become available from the spring," health minister Matt Hancock said.

Moderna's vaccine was 94 per cent effective in preventing disease in late stage clinical trials, and it has already been approved for use in the US, Canada and the European Union.

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food inflation

Pork fillet costs approximately £20 per kilogram, while beef sells for £80 per kilogram or more

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UK shoppers swap beef for pork as prices soar 27 per cent

Highlights

  • Beef price inflation hits 27 per cent while pork remains fraction of the cost at £20/kg vs £80/kg.
  • Waitrose reports 16 per cent rise in pork mince sales as families adapt recipes.
  • Chicken and pork mince volumes surge 65.6 per cent and 36.6 per cent respectively as cheaper protein alternatives.
British shoppers are increasingly swapping beef for pork in dishes like spaghetti bolognese as beef prices continue their steep climb, new retail data reveals. The latest official figures show beef price inflation running at 27 per cent, prompting consumers to seek more affordable alternatives.
Waitrose's annual food and drink report indicates customers are now buying pork cuts typically associated with beef, including T-bone steaks, rib-eye cuts and short ribs.

The cost difference is substantial. Pork fillet costs approximately £20 per kilogram, while beef sells for £80 per kilogram or more, according to Matthew Penfold, senior buyer at Waitrose. He describes pork as making a "massive comeback but in a premium way".

The supermarket has recorded notable changes in shopping patterns, with recipe searches for "lasagne with pork mince" doubling on its website and "pulled pork nachos" searches rising 45 per cent. Sales of pork mince have increased 16 per cent compared to last year as home cooks modify family favourites.

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