NFU urges store giants to stock more British food

A year on from the horsemeat scandal, a new YouGov survey commissioned by the NFU shows that the pressure on supermarkets to sell more British food is as strong now as it was when a similar survey was carried out in the immediate aftermath of the scandal.

Seventy-nine per cent of shoppers think supermarkets should sell more food produced on British farms, according to the survey which involved 1,645 adults.

NFU president Peter Kendall, who opened the union’s annual two-day conference in Birmingham yesterday, said: “I’m constantly told by some supermarkets that their sourcing policies are determined by what their customers want. This survey shows very clearly that consumers want more British food, so I hope they will take this on board and act on it.

“We’re not saying that supermarkets should not stock any foreign produce. But we would urge the retailers to listen to what consumers are saying. The horsemeat scandal showed us that food security isn’t just about an abundance of supply. It’s also about safety, quality and transparency. British farmers and growers provide some of the highest-quality produce in the world produced to high standards of quality, welfare and traceability and consumers want to buy it.”

At the NFU conference today, there will be a discussion about backing British food featuring representatives of Tesco, Morrisons, 2 Sisters Food Group and Farming Minister George Eustice.

Ahead of those talks, the British Retail Consortium defended supermarkets’ sourcing policies.

A spokesperson said: “Our members’ supply chains have always been built on UK production and the vast majority of the food they sell is produced here. They are always looking to increase UK sourcing for good reasons.”