Waitrose has responded to concerns over confusing labels on some of its lamb ready meals.
The meals are branded ‘Waitrose British’ and include Shepherd’s Pie, Lamb Hot Pot, Liver and Bacon and Lamb with Mint and Redcurrant. However, they are all made with New Zealand lamb.
The UK's seventh largest supermarket has since been in extensive talks with the National Farmers Union (NFU).
The supermarket chain has said it will ensure that all products have the origin of the lamb clearly marked on the front of pack.
Farmers have expressed concern over the lack of origin labelling with the product online, and Waitrose have responded by adding an online origin statement.
"To ensure the provenance of the lamb in the meals is clearer (it has always been on back of pack) we have [already] stickered all packs on the front," said a Waitrose spokeswoman.
"We are about to re-launch the range with the branding "Classic", removing the large "British" reference from the front of pack.
"This was only ever supposed to denote the origin of the recipe but we understand why confusion has arisen," she added.
'Misleading'
NFU President Meurig Raymond said the inclusion of the word ‘British’ in the brand name despite the meat being sourced from New Zealand is 'misleading' for shoppers.
He said: “It’s frustrating for British farmers, especially those who produce lamb Waitrose could have sourced.
“After extensive discussions between the retailer and the NFU, we’re now pleased to see some changes made: on pack-stickers to clarify sourcing put in place in the first instance, with the long-term plan of a full rebrand of the ‘British’ product range to avoid confusion on sourcing.
“During these discussions we urged the retailers to make the most of the high-quality British food products our farmers produce. This, we said, is the best way to celebrate British provenance with their customers. We’ll continue to push this message with Waitrose, and others in the supply chain, and relay any more progress on this back to the industry."
