Supermarkets criticised by Which? for ‘Made in Britain’ food claims

Proactive Investors – Supermarkets have been accused of mislabelling products as ‘Made in Britain’ to encourage shoppers to buy them.

A survey by consumer body Which? said the origin labels were “misleading, inconsistent and meaningless” in many cases.

Which? said its researchers visited the UK’s biggest supermarkets and found examples of loose cauliflowers, red cabbage, courgettes and onions at Sainsbury’s, peppers, melons and mangoes at Asda and spring onions at Aldi, with no visible origin labelling on the shelf edge or the products themselves.

Aldi also had bacon and cheese wraps with Union flags and “Made in Britain” on the front of the pack, despite stating they were made with pork from the EU.

Across the stores, products often contained “meaningless” information that gave consumers little insight into where the food they were buying was produced, said Which?, adding almost two-thirds of shoppers (64%) said they prefer to buy British products.

Ele Clark, of Which?, added: ‘Our research has uncovered a surprising amount of inconsistent and misleading food labelling, suggesting that – even when the rules are properly adhered to – consumers aren’t getting all the information they want about their food’s origin.

‘Shoppers want to know where their food comes from for multiple reasons, including supporting British suppliers and making more sustainable choices.

: ‘Supermarkets should particularly focus on labelling loose fruit and vegetables more clearly, but manufacturers and retailers should also consider providing origin information on more processed meat products so shoppers are armed with the information they need.’

In a statement, Aldi said: ‘When it comes to fresh fruit and veg, we are proud to support British farmers and aim to stock British produce whenever it’s available.

‘Customers understand that at this time of year that isn’t always possible.’