Pig industry questions Defra’s plans to change food labeling rules in the UK

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United Kingdom

Regulation & Compliances

Published Mar 28, 2024

Tridge summary

In an effort to enhance food transparency and support British farmers, Environment Secretary Steve Barclay has initiated a consultation on improving food labelling in the UK. Announced at the Oxford Farming Conference, the proposal focuses on making food origin and production methods clearer to consumers, including a mandatory five-tier label system for pork, chicken, and eggs that reflects UK animal welfare standards. Running for eight weeks, the consultation has stirred debate among industry stakeholders about the practicality and potential costs of such labelling reforms, highlighting concerns over the complexity and implementation challenges of the proposed system.

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Original content

Earlier this month, environment secretary Steve Barclay announced plans to make food labelling “clearer and fairer” as part of his commitment to back the British farming industry. The proposal aims to give shoppers more information about how and where their food is produced and ensure British farmers’ products get the recognition they deserve, Defra says. It would also ensure greater transparency around the origin of food and methods of production, helping consumers make decisions that align with their values. The consultation looks at how to improve country of origin labelling for certain goods, including how and where this information is displayed and what products should be included. For example, if imported pork is cured into bacon in the UK and features a Union Jack, the plan will explore ways to make it more obvious to consumers that the pig was reared abroad, such as increasing the size of the country of origin text, or placing it on the front of the packet. The plan also ...

Source: UKFarmersguide