Tom Biggins has called for clearer food labelling, so that products that are labelled British can only come from animals born and bred in Britain.
“When you buy a 'British' pork pie, you probably assume that the pork comes from Britain. In fact, meat from abroad can be imported into Britain to be processed into bacon, sausages and pies which can then be labelled to suggest they are British.
“We think this is dishonest. People have a right to know where their food comes from. Meat labelled 'British' should be born and bred in Britain, raised to our high welfare standards.”
Consumers should be free to choose food from any country, but real choice requires real information. So the Conservatives are demanding honest 'country of origin' labelling to restore trust and allow people to choose British food with confidence.
Clearer labelling will:
- Allow consumers to make informed choices about the food they buy
- Prevent non-British meat being labelled as British
- Support British producers by allowing consumers to identify genuine British meat;
- Promote superior British produce by highlighting the advantages of British produce
- Restore trust and confidence in British food and labelling in general
Tom stressed: “’Honest Food’ is not about protectionism – consumers should be free to choose food from any country. Clear labelling will empower consumers, not restrict their options.
"Other EU countries fight for the interests of their consumers and their farming industry within the trading rules. It’s time for the British Government to show the same spine.
“Our call for ‘country of origin’ labelling is endorsed by farming and animal welfare organisations - including the NFU and RSPCA; and our Honest Food campaign is endorsed by food celebrities including Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall and Clarissa Dickson Wright.”
ICM SURVEY
We commissioned ICM to conduct a survey into public attitudes towards food labelling. The results show that a majority of the public support our call for ‘country of origin’ food labelling.
Nearly two thirds (62 per cent) of people would like to know which country the food they buy comes from. Women were even keener than men to know the origin of their food products, with 67 per cent of female respondents wanting to know their origin, in comparison to 57 per cent for men.
A huge majority (87 per cent) agreed that the Government should ensure that the country of origin is displayed clearly on food. Only a small minority (13 per cent) thought that it shouldn’t.
Half of voters (51 per cent) believe that a product such as sausages or bacon labelled as British or “produced in the UK” meant that it was from an animal reared in Britain. 44 per cent thought that it meant that the sausages or bacon were processed here using imported meat – but this follows extensive publicity about the origin of pork products in Jamie Oliver’s campaign.
89 per cent of voters felt that a meat product labelled as British or “produced in the UK” should mean that it was from an animal reared in Britain.
When asked about how they would shop if food was clearly labelled with its country of origin, over half of voters (53 per cent) said that they would buy British food even if it had a slightly higher price. A further third (33 per cent) would buy British provided it was no more expensive. Only 13 per cent stated that they would buy the cheapest food whatever its origin.
Nearly half (48 per cent) of lower income voters (DE) said that they would buy British even if it cost a bit more, and fewer than a fifth said they would buy the cheapest possible option.
Another overwhelming majority of voters (89 per cent) agreed that Britain should seek to grow more of our food as it has become too dependent on imports.
(ICM Research interviewed a random sample of 1002 adults aged 18+ by telephone on 11-12th February 2009. Interviews were conducted around the country and the results have been weighted to the profile of all adults. ICM is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules).
