The government is being urged to introduce mandatory country-of-origin labelling for processed meat products sold in supermarkets, including packaged sandwiches and sausage rolls.
A group of more than 40 rural Labour MPs are calling for retailers to clearly indicate whether the meat used in these products comes from animals reared in the UK or imported from overseas, arguing that current labelling rules leave shoppers without enough information to make informed purchasing decisions.
The MPs are calling for retailers to clearly indicate whether the meat used in these products comes from animals reared in the UK or imported from overseas, arguing that current labelling rules leave shoppers without enough information to make informed purchasing decisions.
Under existing regulations, fresh meat products such as chicken, beef and steak must prominently display their country of origin. However, the same requirement does not apply to processed meat products, meaning consumers often cannot tell where the meat in ready-to-eat items, including sandwiches, sausage rolls and other foods, has been sourced.
Therefore, bacon that is cured and packed in the UK, meanwhile, can be labelled as “British”, even if the pork was originally imported from Europe.
Tim Bonner, the chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, which has backed the campaign, said: “We have long campaigned for clearer food labelling and a fairer marketplace for British farmers, so we strongly welcome this campaign from the Labour Rural Research Group.”
Jerome Mayhew, the Conservative MP for Broadland and Fakenam, told The Telegraph, "The Union Jack must be a guarantee, not a marketing gimmick. Farmers in my Norfolk constituency produce food to some of the highest quality standards in the world. They are rightly proud of this.”
The proposal for honest labelling is modelled on Australia’s long-running “Made in Australia” system.
Australia’s scheme has operated for nearly a decade. The Countryside Alliance claims that the labels are recognised and understood by 99pc of Australian shoppers and have been welcomed by Australian retailers and farmers.