Amazon’s trial food range would only suit the weirdest palates, but the fact it’s doing it is still bad news for Ocado.

Despite repeatedly denying it had any plans to do so - most notably when UK managing director Brian McBride took the stage at the Retail Week Conference in March - Amazon has today quietly launched a food offer on its website.

At the moment it looks frankly rather weird and the presentation is awful. Lots of crisps and nuts, and then big packages of meat from a company called Meatpacks which are “usually dispatched within 3-4 days”, which probably isn’t what the average mum shopping online wants.

At the moment there’s absolutely no reason why anyone would choose to shop there, although I was toying with the idea of ordering a whole lamb for £119.95 and seeing what happens if it turns up while I’m at work.

It certainly won’t have Tesco quaking in its boots but for Ocado Amazon’s launch of food online has to be a concern. Because while for now it looks like nothing special, Amazon doesn’t get too much wrong and is up there with Ocado for having a stellar reputation for customer service. If it is taking this seriously - and I imagine Amazon wouldn’t be doing it if they aren’t - in time it could be a competitor, even if that time is a fair way off.

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