Tesco had been working for months with the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland to become the official outlet for kosher products for Dublins 1,500-strong Jewish community, but its plan to offer a full service kosher section from early August had to be pushed back at least a month due to restrictions on meat products from the UK, which supplies most of the kosher food consumed in Ireland. Tesco hopes to have a full range available in time for the Jewish high holidays in mid-September, but until then the Nutgrove store will offer kosher grocery products only.

Supervalu's nearby Churchtown store has maintained a "kosher corner" for nearly a decade, but management there has been dogged by dissatisfaction among its Jewish customers over prices, lack of variety and inconsistent supply.

Some Jewish families have gone so far as to visit kosher cash-and-carry warehouses in Manchester to stock up at holidays. The Supervalu store put the problems down to difficulties with UK suppliers and limited floor and shelf space, although he acknowledged that kosher provision had increased footfall in his shop. It is understood that Supervalu will continue to stock some kosher goods.

A spokesman for the Chief Rabbi's office said Tesco would do "bloody good business" once the section was fully operational, as vegetarians and Muslims make up a substantial portion of the overall kosher market. He also expected supply problems to disappear, as Tesco has an extensive kosher range in the UK and would have better relationships with relevant suppliers when compared to Supervalu.