The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)

Food labelling to be made clearer in bid to boost sales of UK produce

Food labels will be made clearer to help consumers buy “high quality” British food under government plans.

Labelling will be more transparen­t about a product’s country of origin, while pork, chicken and eggs will require “method of production” informatio­n on their packaging, the Department for Environmen­t, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said.

Environmen­t Secretary Steve Barclay said the plans would not only help shoppers, but ensure UK farmers received the “recognitio­n they deserve”.

A consultati­on, first announced at the Oxford Farming Conference in January, will consider how to improve country-of-origin labelling for certain goods, including how and where this informatio­n is displayed and what products should be included.

Giving the example of imported pork cured into bacon in the UK, and therefore able to feature a Union Flag on its label, Defra said the consultati­on would explore ways to make it clear the pig was reared abroad, such as increasing the size of the country-of-origin text, or placing it on the front of the packet.

Pork, chicken and eggs packaging would include a mandatory five-tier label for domestic and imported products to differenti­ate between those that fall below, meet or exceed baseline UK animal welfare regulation­s.

Mr Barclay said: “This government backs British farmers, who work hard to produce food to worldleadi­ng standards and maintain our nation’s food security. British consumers want to buy their produce, but too often products made to lower standards abroad aren’t clearly labelled to tell them apart.

“That is why I want to make labelling showing where and how food is produced fairer and easier to understand.”

Th consultati­on on the plans will run until May 7.