Chicago

JUST in time for Fourth of July barbecues, Walmart Stores Inc has upgraded its beef to certified Angus across the US as the fight for food shoppers' dollars intensifies.

For the past year, the nation's biggest grocer worked with meat giants including Tyson Foods Inc and Cargill Inc to secure a supply of Angus steaks and roasts at no additional cost to consumers, said Scott Neal, Walmart's senior vice-president of meat, seafood and quality control. The higher-quality cuts have been available in all of Walmart's 4,700 US stores since March, but the retailer hasn't announced or advertised the shift yet.