Label foods so we can buy British, say consumers

Eight of out ten people think it is important that the country of origin is labelled on meat and poultry, and around three quarters feel it is important for other foods. While the top reason given was that people like to buy British food, country of origin labels were also deemed useful for other reasons, including judging the quality or simply because they are interested in knowing where their food comes from. The research comes ahead of next week's EU discussions on country of origin labelling in Brussels. Under current rules, country of origin is only voluntary for most foods and manufacturers and retailers only have to show where the product last underwent substantial change, not the actual origin of the main ingredient. The proposals being discussed would require food companies to state the origin of the primary ingredient as well as where it was last underwent a substantial change, but this would remain on a voluntary basis. Which? wants the Food Standards Agency to push for it to be mandatory for food companies to provide clear information about the origin of key ingredients such as meat and dairy products in line with consumer expectations. Which? chief policy adviser, Sue Davies, said: "People are increasingly conscious about where their food comes from, but under current rules labelling the origin of most foods is only voluntary, so while some manufacturers provide this information, others don't. This is an opportunity to make food companies provide clear information about the origin of products so consumers can make informed choices about the food they put on their plates."