Schwartz's smoked meat now sold in supermarkets

A waiter serves up smoked meat sandwiches at Schwartz's deli in Montreal, Thursday, March 8, 2012. (Graham Hughes / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

MONTREAL—Smoked meat purists beware.

Schwartz's famed product is now available on the shelves of Quebec’s IGA supermarkets.

On Thursday, the landmark deli on the Main started to market its smoked meat in precooked, vacuum sealed bags. A package of four individually-wrapped 125-gram bags retail for $10.99.

Schwartz's new owners, which include pop diva Celine Dion and her husband, claim the supermarket version has the same taste and texture as the stuff they serve on the main. The restaurant, which has stood since 1928, was sold to the Dion-Angelil clan last March.

It remains to be seen whether Montreal smoked meat aficionados will bite at the product.