Which? slams supermarkets labels

It is a requirement for there to be a country or place of origin label on fresh meat, fruit and vegetables.

However, following an investigation it has found evidence of ‘misleading and meaningless’ food labels in supermarkets alongside a lack of confidence in the system among consumers.

Researchers for consumer watch group Which? visited the UK’s biggest supermarkets and found various examples of poor food labelling throughout various supermarkets.

In numerous cases, they saw loose items such as fresh fruit and vegetables with no visible origin labelling on the shelf edge or the products themselves.

Under current rules, it is a requirement for there to be either a country or place of origin label for many food products, including on fresh meat, fruits and vegetables.

However, the rules do not generally apply to processed meat or frozen or processed fruit and vegetables.

There is also a requirement to provide origin labelling if it would be deemed to be misleading not to.

A survey including over 2000 UK adults by Which? revealed that only half of shoppers said they found the current origin information presented on groceries helpful.

And two-thirds told the group that they would be more likely to buy a product that was labelled ‘British’ than one that was not.

Furthermore, other labels had fairly meaningless information, according to Which?, such as a pack of sausage rolls from Lidl which stated they were processed using ‘UK and non UK pork’.

Altogether almost threequarters (72%) of respondents in Which?’s survey said it was important to know where fresh meat comes from.

Origin information is important to shoppers. Its survey revealed that nearly six in ten (59%) of shoppers who check for origin labelling do it because they want to support their local economy.

Ele Clark, Which? retail editor, said the research had uncovered a surprising amount of inconsistent and misleading food labelling.

She said: “Shoppers want to know where their food comes from for multiple reasons, including supporting British suppliers and making more sustainable choices.

“Supermarkets should particularly focus on labelling loose fruit and vegetables more clearly, but manufacturers and retailers should also consider providing origin information on more processed meat products.”