Barclay: Union flag labels on our food risk seriously misleading consumers
Environment Secretary vows rule change to aid farmers
CONSUMERS could be being conned by the Union flag on supermarket shelves, says Environment Secretary Steve Barclay.
But leaving the EU has allowed the UK to better legislate against it, he told the Daily Express.
He is launching a consultation as the first step towards changing the rules, with the Government expected to “respond and bring forward proposals as soon as possible”, a source told this newspaper.
Mr Barclay said: “As a result of Brexit we can have labelling that better recognises the quality of British produce. So the Union Jack is not stuck on things that haven’t been produced in the UK, which is a key concern farmers have raised with me.”
Risk
A survey of 2,000 Britons found respondents chose British produce to support local farmers.
But almost two thirds of shoppers felt misled by supermarkets after learning that products with the British flag could also contain ingredients from outside the UK, the study for Lion Eggs found.
Mr Barclay said: “I’m very concerned. There is a serious risk of British consumers being misled, where the Union Jack is on a shelf and yet the product has not been produced in Britain. For example where a pig has been reared overseas but is presented as British bacon.
“We should empower the consumer, so they know exactly when the product has been produced in Britain.
“Many people want to buy British because they know that British producers create among the best quality produce in the world.”
Meanwhile, sustainable farming champion Joe Stanley argued consumers are totally misled about where most of their food originates.
The Leicestershire-based farmer claimed the Union Jack was being misused by big supermarkets.
He said: “The Union Jack means nothing when it comes to food labelling.
“Go into your supermarket you will see banners saying ‘backing British farmers’ above shelves full of apples that have been flown in from South Africa and France.
“The Union Jack is used and abused.The only thing that guarantees produce is British is the red tractor logo, which can only be put on products which are 100% British, which are mostly vegetables and meat.
“So the consumer is blindly unaware of where most of their food is coming from.
“And, you could argue, actively misled by the use of the Union Jack on products which are absolutely not British.”
The Government is carrying out a consultation until May 7 on “fairer and clearer” food labelling.
It is seeking views on proposals to “improve transparency and consistency through improved country of origin, and animal welfare labelling”.
According to official figures, roughly 60% of all food eaten in the UK is produced by British farmers, with the nation’s agri-food and seafood sectors producing more than £120billion for the economy annually.
Mr Barclay, who asked for the consultation, said at the Oxford Farming Conference earlier this year that the UK would look at ways to strengthen existing country-of-origin labelling rules by mandating how and where information is displayed.
The Environment Secretary said: “I am keen to work with supermarkets to ensure they better inform consumers about the high quality British produce on offer.
Quality
“Already supermarkets are recognised through my parliamentary colleagues’ ‘Buy British’ label campaign, which is a welcome step.
“But they need to go further. And that is why we’re looking at the labelling regulations.”
NFU Deputy President David Exwood said: “Food labels must be clear, simple and contain accurate information, including country of origin. They must give shoppers easy access to the information they want.”
He said buying British meant the food was traceable, safe and produced to high animal welfare and environmental standards.