It’s all in the label...

As the European Parliament moves closer to introducing mandatory rules for country of origin labelling, consumers deserve to know where their food comes from, says NFU Cymru.

 

The Committee for Environment, Public Health and Food Safety has voted to push forward with plans to label all meat, poultry, dairy products, fresh fruit and vegetables with country of origin. Members also backed country of origin labelling for meat, poultry and fish when used as an ingredients in processed foods.

 

NFU Cymru President Ed Bailey explained that clearer labelling would help consumers to choose food produced to higher standards. He said: “Shopping trends tell us consumers want to support home grown produce but under current labelling laws there is no requirement to state the country of origin.   

 

“Food labelling has been an area of confusion for consumers and an area of frustration for producers for too long. Labels should enable the consumer to make a genuinely informed choice on the product they are buying, so that they are not misled over the country of origin of the product and are able to support high welfare and environmental production standards.”