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Boost for farmers as Tesco and Morrisons pledge to end misleading food labelling
TWO of Britain's biggest supermarkets have pledged to end misleading food labelling by spelling out exactly where their meat comes from.
A deal agreed with the Tories promises to end confusion for consumers who think they are buying British meat products which have actually been reared overseas, giving British farmers a boost.
Tesco and Morrisons have agreed not to exploit a legal loophole which allows foreign meat to be labelled as "Produced in the UK" if it was processed in this country.
Instead labels will state "Made in the UK with meat from ..." when a product is manufactured in the UK but contains non-British meat.
The move – which came after the Tories threatened to legislate if supermarkets refused to co-operate – represents a major victory for the Yorkshire Post's Clearly British campaign to end misleading labelling.
Shadow Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Nick Herbert, who has been spearheading the Tory campaign on the issue, said: "Ministers have made no credible attempt to improve country of origin labelling and it is Conservatives who are driving change for the benefit of consumers and British farmers.
"People want clear information about where their food comes from, and the supermarkets are responding. Until now a voluntary agreement has not seemed possible, but Tesco and Morrisons' support for the Honest Food campaign is a significant step forward.
"Everyone would welcome a satisfactory voluntary scheme, but we remain committed to compulsory country of origin labelling until this is secured across the board."
The Yorkshire Post's Clearly British campaign was launched amid growing concern that British farmers were suffering because consumers wanting to buy home-reared produce were inadvertently buying imports, with meat often reared to lower welfare standards.
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has raised the issue and after several unsuccessful attempts by Tory MPs to introduce legislation, Mr Herbert launched his party's campaign and promised to force through clear labelling by law if David Cameron wins the election unless a voluntary deal was struck.
The campaign revealed how a packet of Bird's Eye roast beef slices labelled "Great British menu" on the front contained meat imported from overseas; a corned beef sandwich from Marks & Spencer emblazoned with a Union flag and the phrase the "nation's favourite" used meat from Brazil; and a packet of bacon chops from Tesco described as "produce of Britain" could actually be from Holland, Denmark, the Republic of Ireland or Britain.
In January, Environment Secretary Hilary Benn, MP for Leeds Central, admitted current rules were "a nonsense and have to change", but no Government deal with supermarkets has been forthcoming. New EU regulations are expected but it could be years before they come into force.
National Farmers' Union director of policy Martin Haworth said: "Backing from Tesco for the Honest Food campaign is good news. The NFU would like to see all major retailers supporting this campaign to give their consumers the most accurate information about where their food comes from."
Tesco executive director for corporate and legal affairs Lucy Neville-Rolfe said: "It is very important to provide clear information so customers can make informed choices. That is why we are so pleased to support the Honest Food campaign. In future, Tesco meat products will display more information about the country of origin, further demonstrating what can be achieved by collaboration rather than regulation."
At a fringe meeting at the Liberal Democrat conference this week, the party's food spokesman, Tim Farron, called for the labelling rules to be changed but added: "Retailers can choose to do it themselves. There's no reason they can't do that and they should do that."
Morrisons' director of corporate affairs, Richard Taylor, said the supermarket wanted to support British farmers, but said customers often opted for foreign produce because it was cheaper.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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