The NFU has said public opinion has borne out its calls for country of origin labelling.

Members of the public responding to a YouGov survey commissioned by the NFU itself backed the NFU position on origin labelling, with the majority of consumers desiring more information on British produce from online retailers and many saying it was more difficult to ascertain the origin of processed meats.

According to the results of the NFU’s survey, 81% of UK adults think that online food retailers should provide the same amount of information about the product’s country of origin on the website as there is on the food packaging in store. However, less than a quarter of those asked (24%) said they ‘always’ look out for British produce whilst shopping, and     just over half of those asked considered it important to know the origin of the dairy products in food (56% for cheese, 55% for butter, 53% for infant formula).
 
Even so, NFU President Meurig Raymond said, “Country of origin labelling is important because we know from public surveys that shoppers want to buy more British food products produced on British farms. Clearly, shoppers cannot exercise that choice without clear country of origin labelling.
 
“Online shopping is a growing trend and according to IGD in 2016 the value of online grocery sales was worth £10.5bn. This is set to increase by 2020 to £17.6bn. One of the key issues is that the country of origin of products sold online are often not clearly identified and pictures of products often have no origin label displayed.”
 
The NFU wants retailers to make the same information that is available to shoppers in store available online. In its ‘manifesto’ - a series of policy demands published under five main categories ahead of the general election - the NFU called for “Clear and honest” country of origin labelling. The union suggested on Tuesday that retailers could identify British-origin products on their websites by using union jack icons, or even introduce filters to select ‘British only’ produce.
 
Mr Raymond said, “The NFU is willing to work with everyone throughout the food supply chain to ensure that customers are given clear and unambiguous information about where their food comes from. Looking out for the Red Tractor logo is the easiest way to find food from British farms.”

Last year, prominent thinkers, including Oxford economist Dieter Helm and Dutch political scientist Herman Lelieveldt commented on nationalist rhetoric being used to push different food and farming agendas. Dr Lelieveldt warned that a growing trend for ‘gastronationalism’ in Europe risks overshadowing genuine, measurable concerns associated with food production, like fairness, welfare and environmental impact. Dr Lelieveldt commented, “Indicating the country of origin on your food will not make it any safer, nor will it tell us anything about the sustainability of what’s on your plate, as the distance food travels only has a very limited impact on the environment.”