NFU chief food chain adviser Ruth Mason said: “It’s vital that shoppers have accurate, clear labelling on the origin of any British food or drink product in order to make an informed choice about what they are buying. The NFU is seeking assurance that Tesco’s new branding on selected food products is accurately and clearly labelled as British.
“We recognise that Tesco has chosen to brand these products with fictional farm names – a marketing technique practiced in Aldi and Lidl on selected product lines. There will inevitably be shoppers who are led to believe that the fictional names of the farms are the real source of the product - this makes the need for clear and accurate origin labelling even greater.
“The NFU believes that connecting both children and adults with where their food comes from is extremely important - this all starts with the NFU’s Back British Farming campaign. The NFU has invested in Why Farming Matters education packs for primary school teachers and it regularly talks to its 26,000 Back British Farming supporters about what is going on in the farming sector.”
