MP condemns Pret’s ‘fake food labelling’

PRET a Manger was yesterday criticised by a Conservative MP for ‘fake labelling’ its bread.

Robert Halfon suggested the sandwich chain was trying to deceive customers with its baguettes – described as ‘the fresher the better’. The Daily Mail has revealed they are made at a French factory and frozen.

Mr Halfon addressed the Commons yesterday after an urgent question was put by Labour MP Melanie Onn asking what action the Government was taking to improve food labelling to prevent allergy-related deaths.

it followed the deaths of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, 15, and Celia Marsh, 42, who suffered allergic reactions after eating Pret a Manger products.

The Conservative MP for Harlow said: ‘As well as more careful food labelling can my honourable friend look at fake labelling?

‘i don’t know if he has seen the Daily Mail today which suggests that claims made by Pret a Manger to supply fresh bread are far from the case and actually the bread is frozen for a year and comes from

Yesterday’s Daily Mail France. it is important that consumers are not deceived and pay a lot of money for these products.

‘So can my honourable friend look at fake labelling and make sure this doesn’t happen?’

Environment minister David Rutley responded by saying Britain ‘should be proud’ of its standard of food and called on retailers to be clear about where their supplies came from.

‘Retailers and manufacturers need to be transparent about the quality of their food,’ he said.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove was criticised by some MPs present for not attending.

His stand-in insisted food labelling would be tackled by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as a matter of urgency. Mr Rutley suggested any new regulations could be made to honour Natasha’s name.

Sue Hayman, who is Labour’s environment spokesman, said: ‘Full ingredient labels shouldn’t just be nice to have. For some people they are the difference between life and death.’

Dr Sean Cummings, the coroner presiding over Natasha’s inquest, called on Pret a Manger to take action to prevent further deaths.

He raised concerns that ‘future deaths could occur’ in a report sent to Pret boss Clive Schlee and to the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Authority, Epipen manufacturer Pfizer and Mr Gove.

Nadim and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, Natasha’s parents, said yesterday: ‘We strongly welcome the coroner’s robust report into prevention of future deaths.

‘There can be no further excuses from Pret and similar establishments for not acting immediately on allergen labelling.’

Dr Cummings’ report criticised Pret for not labelling products adequately by taking advantage of a food regulation clause designed to help ‘local kitchens’.

He wrote: ‘items prepared in “local kitchens” are in fact assembled in large parts from items made in factory- style outlets to Pret specifications. i was left with the impression that the local kitchens were in fact a device to evade the spirit of the regulation.’

in a statement, Pret said last night: ‘We have always complied with relevant regulations as they apply to our business.

‘We are moving to full labelling of all products produced in our kitchens. Our baguettes are baked in our shops and sold on the same day. Any unsold are given to homeless shelters.’

‘FRESH’ PRET BAGUETTES ARE UP TO A YEAR OLD