Herbert: Tesco backs Honest Food campaign
21 September 2009
The Conservative Party’s ‘Honest Food’ campaign has achieved a major success in its bid to improve country of origin food labelling by securing the backing of Tesco, the UK's largest retailer. Tesco is today pledging to support the campaign and to provide more information to consumers about where its meat products come from.
The Honest Food campaign was launched in February this year with the support of farming and animal welfare organisations. Following its launch, Shadow Environment Secretary, Nick Herbert met with representatives of the major supermarkets to explain that if necessary a Conservative Government would change the law to enforce compulsory country-of-origin labelling for meat or meat products.
Both Tesco and Morrisons have pledged to implement the recommendations of the Honest Food campaign, including the introduction of clear statements on all products of 10 per cent meat content or higher, and the replacement of the term ‘Produced in the UK’ with the term ‘Made in the UK with meat from X’ when a product is manufactured in the UK but contains non-British meat.
Sainsbury’s, M&S and Waitrose also support the campaign. ASDA is currently reviewing its labelling to ensure their customers have accurate information about where products are made and come from.
Despite the Environment Secretary, Hilary Benn, admitting in January that current food labelling rules are “a nonsense and have to change”, the Government rejected the Honest Food proposals and failed to deliver a promised agreement with supermarkets for improved labelling. At an ‘Honest Food’ event this morning to celebrate British Food Fortnight, Nick Herbert said:
“The Honest Food campaign is succeeding where the Government has failed. Ministers have made no credible attempt to improve country of origin labelling and it is Conservatives who are driving change for the benefit of consumers and British farmers.
“People want clear information about where their food comes from, and the supermarkets are responding. Until now a voluntary agreement has not seemed possible, but Tesco and Morrison’s support for the Honest Food campaign is a significant step forward. Everyone would welcome a satisfactory voluntary scheme, but we remain committed to compulsory country of origin labelling until this is secured across the board.”