Agriculture minister Jim Paice has made a call for country of origin labelling to cover food served by restaurants, retailers and caterers. The minister today said many food products are beginning to offer information on the origins of food, though he believes more could be done.  

Mr Paice commented on country of origin labelling today, 18 months after the introduction of voluntary labelling in the UK, since which time little has changed. The minister said labelling would enable consumers to “make informed choices on production methods, environment and quality.”  

However, as the government drive for labelling increases, in other quarters more is being made of the need to define terms such as ‘local’ which are increasingly misleading shoppers, rather than introducing rigid labelling along national lines. As modern foodies strive to eat locally, terms which suggest freshness and local production are being increasingly stretched to attract shoppers.

In 2011, an investigation by Trading Standards officials revealed a host of markets, shops, restaurants and manufacturers had been misleadingly labelling their products as local. Trading Standards inspectors found that, of 558 products tested over 300 premises, 18 per cent of claims made about food were undoubtedly false and a further 14 per cent were unverifiable.

 Paul Bettison, a spokesperson for the investigators commented at the time, “Defra and the food industry must agree the definition of `local’.  Whether it is food manufactured within the county or within a 30 mile radius, any agreement would certainly help protect consumers.”

The Food Law Practice Guidelines, used by the Food Standards Agency, states that local and localised should mean: "Sales within the supplying establishment's own county plus the greater of either the neighbouring county or counties or 30 miles/50 kilometres from the boundary of the supplying establishment's county," though these are only guidelines and investigators involved in the study recommended that a clear universal definition of ‘local’ be adopted.

The trading standards officials did find that meat and dairy products were most likely to be misleadingly labelled, after an increase in public awareness has led to more support for local production.

Paice’s concerns appear largely limited to meat and dairy products; analysis of origin labelling was carried out by Defra on a range of meat and processed dairy products in advance of Mr Paice’s comments today. These products were studied in 2011 and again this year. The Defra survey showed that, for the most part, country of origin labelling has decreased since 2011 when voluntary measures were brought in.

The minister said, “More than ever, people want to know where their food comes from, so it’s disappointing to see little improvement in the number of food products showing this information. Origin labelling helps people make informed choices and gives assurances on quality, production methods, and environmental impact. Whether it’s on a label, menu, or given verbally, I want to see all of industry making every effort to provide this information that the consumer has made it clear they want.”

A recent report from the Campaign for the Protection for Rural England showed the value of local food networks to the UK economy, demonstrating that they contribute to higher employment and keep money circulating longer in rural regions. The CPRE report slammed the government’s ineffectual moves on developing a sustainable food policy and blamed large retailers for eroding local food webs.

This year, food policy experts have stepped up calls on government to develop a cohesive food policy, which brings together considerations for the environment, health and wellbeing and sustainable food production. Though country of origin labelling may help consumers make an informed choice on where their food comes from, there are risks it could be abused in a divisive and nationalistic way or detract attention from wider sustainable production goals.

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