An alarming misconception amongst consumers on the definition of the ’country of origin’ term when it is stated on a food label was unveiled to NFU Cymru this week when it attended a Food Standards Agency (FSA) stakeholder meeting.
Research, commissioned by the FSA in order to find out about how people understand and use food labels, including country of origin labels, showed that 78% of meat and meat products now carry a ’country of origin’ statement compared with 69% in 2005. 44% of meat products now give the origin of meat ingredients which has more than doubled since 2005. However, consumers remain confused on the definition of the country of origin.
The research revealed that the most frequent answer, amongst the sample, was that the country of origin reflected where an animal had been farmed, followed by where the product had been processed. Some believed that it was where an animal had been slaughtered or even born. Very few actually knew that the term referred to the last place where the product had substantially changed.
Dai Davies, NFU Cymru President said, "We want to see mandatory origin labelling extended to all meat, meat products and dairy products. We also want ’origin’ to mean the actual country in which the animal was reared i.e. place of farming, and not where the food was processed. If this does not happen then consumers will simply continue to be mislead.
"We are pleased that there is acknowledgement by FSA Wales, backed by this research, that current labelling rules can cause confusion.
"Whilst we agree that labelling practice has improved and FSA Wales’ guidance on the issue is being followed by some, there are still many examples of misleading origin labelling."
The research did actually indicate that consumers would like country of origin labelling to include strong images indicating the country of origin, i.e. where the product was raised.
Consumers also felt it would be beneficial for the country of origin label to be displayed prominently and that the label is often an important indicator for consumers to use when considering, not only the traceability of the product, but the quality and the safety of the food.
Mr Davies concluded, "It is in no-one’s interest for consumers to be confused, misled or annoyed by labels. Consumers deserve to have clear and concise information provided on labels in order for them to make informed decisions on their choice of products."