Celebrity chef, who has appeared in more than 100 adverts for the supermarket chain, moving on after 11 years
Jamie Oliver launching Sainsbury's Switch The Fish campaign, one of several he has spearheaded for the supermarket. Photograph: Ian West/PA
Jamie Oliver's stint as the face of Sainsbury's is over, after an advertising tie-up which has lasted 11 years and is thought to have earned the celebrity chef more than £10m was severed.
An outspoken campaigner on food standards and animal welfare, Oliver has appeared in more than 100 adverts for the supermarket group, offering endorsements that have consistently triggered huge leaps in featured groceries.
In 2005 Oliver's suggestion that home cooks grate nutmeg over spaghetti bolognese – part of Sainsbury's "try something different" promotion – led to the supermarket selling nine tonnes of the spice, an amount equivalent to the previous two years' sales.
However, the relationship has been punctuated by a series of perceived disagreements. Five years ago Sainsbury's chief executive Justin King was critical of the language Oliver used in condemning parents who put junk food in children's lunch boxes.
Two years later Oliver clashed with Sainsbury's over its alleged refusal to take part in a television debate on battery bred chickens as part of his programme, Jamie's Fowl Dinners.
"It is shocking that the people that I work for did not turn up on the day," he told reporters. "How dare they not? I was really upset."
Later he sent an open letter to Sainsbury's staff apologising for his outburst after a tense conversation with King.
King paid tribute on Tuesday to Oliver's work for the company. "Jamie has been an excellent ambassador for the Sainsbury's brand, spearheading our goal to offer our customers fresh and tasty food, whilst maintaining strong ethical standards. It has been one of the most successful and mutually rewarding partnerships ever," he said.
Particular successes for Sainsbury's included the Oliver-fronted "feed your family for a fiver" promotion, which is said to have seen sales of featured lines leap by up to 200%.
In a prepared statement Oliver, who is on holiday, said he would miss Sainsbury's but it was "a good time to move on".
He will continue to front adverts until after Christmas.
In a nod to past tensions, Oliver added: "The way they take on challenges – like their commitment to sourcing higher welfare products, such as chicken and eggs – is something to be proud of."
An outspoken campaigner on food standards and animal welfare, Oliver has appeared in more than 100 adverts for the supermarket group, offering endorsements that have consistently triggered huge leaps in featured groceries.
In 2005 Oliver's suggestion that home cooks grate nutmeg over spaghetti bolognese – part of Sainsbury's "try something different" promotion – led to the supermarket selling nine tonnes of the spice, an amount equivalent to the previous two years' sales.
However, the relationship has been punctuated by a series of perceived disagreements. Five years ago Sainsbury's chief executive Justin King was critical of the language Oliver used in condemning parents who put junk food in children's lunch boxes.
Two years later Oliver clashed with Sainsbury's over its alleged refusal to take part in a television debate on battery bred chickens as part of his programme, Jamie's Fowl Dinners.
"It is shocking that the people that I work for did not turn up on the day," he told reporters. "How dare they not? I was really upset."
Later he sent an open letter to Sainsbury's staff apologising for his outburst after a tense conversation with King.
King paid tribute on Tuesday to Oliver's work for the company. "Jamie has been an excellent ambassador for the Sainsbury's brand, spearheading our goal to offer our customers fresh and tasty food, whilst maintaining strong ethical standards. It has been one of the most successful and mutually rewarding partnerships ever," he said.
Particular successes for Sainsbury's included the Oliver-fronted "feed your family for a fiver" promotion, which is said to have seen sales of featured lines leap by up to 200%.
In a prepared statement Oliver, who is on holiday, said he would miss Sainsbury's but it was "a good time to move on".
He will continue to front adverts until after Christmas.
In a nod to past tensions, Oliver added: "The way they take on challenges – like their commitment to sourcing higher welfare products, such as chicken and eggs – is something to be proud of."
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