>>Tim yeo, shadow secretary for environment, food and agriculture, outlines tory thinking on food labelling
My New Year’s resolution was to buy more locally produced food. Last Christmas I was aware of just how much of what we eat is coming in from abroad, and although sometimes this imported food is relatively cheap, it is often bought at the expense of British farmers.
It’s not so long ago that very little food came from abroad and, with the exception of things like oranges and bananas, we all ate fruit and vegetables which were in season. So when the first strawberries were on sale at the start of summer, they were a treat. Now that they are flown in from abroad all year round, we have lost that contact with the changing seasons.
But it isn’t for sentimental reasons I want to cut food imports; it’s more about the environment. Transport is a big source of carbon dioxide emissions, the greenhouse gases which are accelerating changes in our climate. Within the transport sector, aviation is the fastest growing source of emissions. So the less distance, or “food miles”, our food has been flown before it reaches our tables, the less harm we do to our environment.
It is good for our farmers, too. British food is produced to very high standards, in terms of animal welfare, health and safety, and the environment. But our farmers have to maintain those high standards while competing against imported goods which don’t have to. And, in a rural area like Suffolk, the more local produce we buy the better it is for the whole local economy.
Unfortunately, you can’t always tell which country what you’re buying has come from. Although fresh fruit and vegetables have to be labelled with their country of origin, this isn’t always the case with meat or processed foods and ready meals.
It’s wrong that the present law allows food which has been processed here using imported ingredients to still be labelled “produced in the UK”. It is misleading consumers to describe bacon produced from pigs not reared in this country as British just because it was packaged here. It’s unfair to British pig farmers, too, including many in Suffolk.
The answer is to require food processors and retailers to label produce more clearly and honestly. I want food labels to state for all ingredients country of origin, number of food miles travelled, and the animal welfare and environmental standards of production. That way we could make better informed
choices when we shop. This would still leave everyone free to exercise their choice in different ways.
Some people, like me, may prefer where possible to buy food that is locally produced. Others may want food from specific countries abroad, food that is organically grown, or food that doesn’t contain any genetically engineered ingredients. Whatever their preferences, consumers cannot make informed choices without clear labelling. Until we have that I will only buy a pork pie if I’m sure the pig was reared in Britain, preferably in Suffolk.
In May 2002, the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) conducted a survey of 10 supermarkets, looking at their local food sourcing policies, entitled Down Your Way. Most said they were looking to increase the number of locally or regionally produced foods. Waitrose was looking to provide one local food choice in every food sector; Asda was looking at a minimum of one local food product in each store; and Tesco said it had achieved its target of 3,000 local food lines in stores that year. Booths, a chain based in four counties in Yorkshire and the north west, said it sourced 25% of its 22,000 food lines from those four counties.
However, most supermarkets had rather unclear definitions of local foods. The CPRE has called for them to develop clear definitions, strategies and targets. Increasing quantities of food should be processed, packaged and distributed near to farm gates. Local food should be defined as one where the main ingredient has been grown and processed within 30 miles of the store.
My New Year’s resolution was to buy more locally produced food. Last Christmas I was aware of just how much of what we eat is coming in from abroad, and although sometimes this imported food is relatively cheap, it is often bought at the expense of British farmers.
It’s not so long ago that very little food came from abroad and, with the exception of things like oranges and bananas, we all ate fruit and vegetables which were in season. So when the first strawberries were on sale at the start of summer, they were a treat. Now that they are flown in from abroad all year round, we have lost that contact with the changing seasons.
But it isn’t for sentimental reasons I want to cut food imports; it’s more about the environment. Transport is a big source of carbon dioxide emissions, the greenhouse gases which are accelerating changes in our climate. Within the transport sector, aviation is the fastest growing source of emissions. So the less distance, or “food miles”, our food has been flown before it reaches our tables, the less harm we do to our environment.
It is good for our farmers, too. British food is produced to very high standards, in terms of animal welfare, health and safety, and the environment. But our farmers have to maintain those high standards while competing against imported goods which don’t have to. And, in a rural area like Suffolk, the more local produce we buy the better it is for the whole local economy.
Unfortunately, you can’t always tell which country what you’re buying has come from. Although fresh fruit and vegetables have to be labelled with their country of origin, this isn’t always the case with meat or processed foods and ready meals.
It’s wrong that the present law allows food which has been processed here using imported ingredients to still be labelled “produced in the UK”. It is misleading consumers to describe bacon produced from pigs not reared in this country as British just because it was packaged here. It’s unfair to British pig farmers, too, including many in Suffolk.
The answer is to require food processors and retailers to label produce more clearly and honestly. I want food labels to state for all ingredients country of origin, number of food miles travelled, and the animal welfare and environmental standards of production. That way we could make better informed
choices when we shop. This would still leave everyone free to exercise their choice in different ways.
Some people, like me, may prefer where possible to buy food that is locally produced. Others may want food from specific countries abroad, food that is organically grown, or food that doesn’t contain any genetically engineered ingredients. Whatever their preferences, consumers cannot make informed choices without clear labelling. Until we have that I will only buy a pork pie if I’m sure the pig was reared in Britain, preferably in Suffolk.
In May 2002, the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) conducted a survey of 10 supermarkets, looking at their local food sourcing policies, entitled Down Your Way. Most said they were looking to increase the number of locally or regionally produced foods. Waitrose was looking to provide one local food choice in every food sector; Asda was looking at a minimum of one local food product in each store; and Tesco said it had achieved its target of 3,000 local food lines in stores that year. Booths, a chain based in four counties in Yorkshire and the north west, said it sourced 25% of its 22,000 food lines from those four counties.
However, most supermarkets had rather unclear definitions of local foods. The CPRE has called for them to develop clear definitions, strategies and targets. Increasing quantities of food should be processed, packaged and distributed near to farm gates. Local food should be defined as one where the main ingredient has been grown and processed within 30 miles of the store.
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