Brits promise more honest labelling

Monday, April 5, 2010

British supermarkets and restaurant chains have pledged to clean up their act on the labelling of sausages, pies and ready-made meals containing pork from foreign sources.   
Labelling laws allow products containing pork, chicken, beef and lamb reared overseas to be marked as British as long as it is processed in that country.

According to Britain's Daily Mail, famous British products such as Melton Mowbray pork pies and Lincolnshire sausages have, in the past, been made with foreign pork from Ireland and the Continent. Supermarkets Asda, Tesco, Sainbury's and Whitbread recently joined Marks & Spencer, the Co-op, Morrisons and Waitrose in signing on to a voluntary code that promised more honest labels.

Companies have agreed to display the country of origin clearly on the package and, if they describe the product as produced in the United Kingdom, they also have to put where the meat originated. The Union or Welsh flag will only be used if the pork comes from that country.

The code also offers new standard definitions of "free range," "outdoor bred" and "outdoor reared" in descriptions of rearing pigs. BP