Half of UK shoppers do not trust the ingredients in foods when there is no country of origin labelling on the packaging, research from the British Egg Industry Council has shown.
As many as 69% of shoppers felt it was misleading to not highlight the origin of major ingredients such as eggs in items such as egg sandwiches, salad or quiche, the poll of 2,055 UK adults in November revealed.
A quarter of respondents said eating products containing imported eggs made them feel less safe, while more than 70% agreed that if produce could be sourced in the UK, it should not be procured from other countries.
Altogether, 84% expected British-made food to be made with British ingredients.
In addition, 86% believed that eggs should be of British origin when either purchased or eaten, while the same number trusted British Lion egg producers to protect them against any food safety risk that may arise from imported eggs.
“Consumers put their trust in supermarkets to ensure that the food they sell is produced to the highest food safety standards and that they are being transparent when it comes to the origin of the ingredients,” said Mark Williams, British Egg Industry Council chairman.
“However, a significant number of imported eggs continue to be used in pre-prepared foods, such as quiche or egg sandwiches, that don’t meet the same food safety standards as British Lion eggs.
“While it’s great that many products already contain British Lion egg ingredients, shoppers may be unaware as there is little to no information on pack.”
Williams cautioned that retailers were “missing out” on an opportunity to build trust in shoppers by not displaying the British Lion Mark on pre-packed foods where Lion eggs are used.
The findings come after research from Red Tractor revealed British shoppers were regaining faith in the quality and standards of UK food, but confidence was still below 2021 levels.
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