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Turkeys from Brazil: Asda imports are ’shameful betrayal’ of British farmers

By: Sean Poulter

Source: Mail Online – http://tinyurl.com/yzx94sm

British farmers have reacted with fury after it emerged that Asda has been importing frozen turkeys from Brazil this Christmas.

They view the decision  -  the first time a major supermarket chain has sourced their Christmas turkeys from Brazil  -  as a shameful betrayal of British agriculture.

The farmers also complained that it is a huge waste of energy to buy, freeze and ship thousands of turkeys from 6,000 miles away when they could offer locally reared turkeys. 

6,000-mile flight: Asda imported the birds from Brazil but many were not sold

The South American origin of the turkey is noted in the small print on the back of the packs but most shoppers are unlikely to check, assuming that supermarket turkeys are reared in this country.

The move by Asda  -  the UK’s second largest supermarket  -  is the latest evidence of leading retailers shipping in meat from places such as South America and Thailand without making the origins obvious.

Asda is understood to have flown in two consignments of whole turkeys and turkey crowns from Brazil thought to total more than 30,000 birds.

However, the Daily Mail has learned that it subsequently decided not to go ahead with the sale of the whole frozen turkeys because it was unhappy with the taste of the baste used to keep the bird moist during cooking.

It is still selling frozen turkey crowns from Brazil and said there are some 17,000 sitting on shelves. Despite higher transport costs, Brazilian farmers are still able to undercut their British rivals.

And for Asda customers, the Brazilian turkey crown is slightly cheaper, at £5.33 per kilo, than a frozen British equivalent, which costs the shopper £6.17 a kilo.

Charles Bourns, chairman of the National Farmers’ Union Poultry Committee, described Asda’s decision as ’shameful’.

He said: ‘This is the latest blow for British turkey producers who have not had the support they need from the big supermarkets over many years. British turkey production has come down from around 49million birds a year ten years ago to about 15million to 17million today. It is a very sad story.

‘I am told by a supplier that Asda will probably make an extra £100,000 from bringing in turkeys from Brazil, which does not seem much given all the hassle involved.

‘When we see that they have had to reject a significant number of the imported turkeys from Brazil it is easy to see the folly of the decision.

‘It really is a shameful betrayal of British producers.’

Asda has been crowing in recent days after it won an independent price comparison survey showing it was able to provide the cheapest Christmas dinner this year. But it appears part of this success is down to a reliance on cheap imports.

The supermarket will be putting fresh, all British turkeys on sale from Saturday at a higher price of £6.98 a kilo.

Mr Bourns said: ‘I can understand why, particularly in these difficult times, people will want to save £6 or £7 by going for an imported turkey, but they should have clear labels so they know where it is from.’

He said some butchers bring in turkey crowns from countries in Europe, such as Italy and Poland, and then pass them off as local.

An Asda spokesman said: ‘It’s the quality and taste of our food that we care about most, no matter where it comes from.’

She explained the decision to pull one batch, saying: ‘We weren’t 100 per cent happy with the taste of the baste on our Basted Whole Frozen Turkey, so rather than risk spoiling anyone’s Christmas dinner we took it off sale.’

Farmer’s market sets up stall in cyberspace

Source: The times – http://tinyurl.com/yczc6zf

The village farmer’s market is going high-tech in its battle against the supermarkets by launching a website that allows shoppers to stroll around virtual stalls and buy artisan produce.

Fans of World of Warcraft may not appear to be the natural buyers of Cornish blue cheese, Five Fruit marmalade and Anglesey sea salt but the market trader behind the site believes that the ability to “meet” the farmer on the site will appeal to online shoppers who do not have time to visit traditional farmers’ markets.

Marcus Carter, a pâté maker who founded the Virtual Farmers Market site, said: “It’s the story of the food that everyone comes to the market for, and I thought surely we can reproduce that experience online.”

The site, which launches on New Year’s Day, employs the 3D technology used for developing video games to bring the virtual market to life. At first it will have 45 stalls selling condiments, meat, cheese, fish, soups, sweets and oils but it expects to showcase more than 100 in the future.

Mr Carter, who sells his family’s “Patchwork Pâté” at the King’s Road farmer’s market in West London every Wednesday, said customers could watch videos of the farmers to connect with the product. He added that previous attempts to create online markets had limited success as they simply listed products without making a link to the people behind them. He said: “There is a certain section of people who want to know where their food has come from that won’t trust a simple picture on a website.”

He argued that the site would appeal to customers who already shopped on the internet but wanted to find products that the online supermarkets do not stock. “People who shop in supermarkets and their sites tend to buy off a list, whereas people who visit delicatessens and farmer’s markets are more like hunter-gatherers. They’ll take £40 to spend but don’t know what they will buy before they see what is on offer.”

With a £35 minimum spend and a £12 charge for overnight delivery from the company’s London warehouse, the virtual farmer’s market is unlikely to appeal to bargain-hunters.

Mr Carter, who owns the site with Roger Saunt, his business partner, and spent £50,000 developing it, said the flat-fee charge reflected the cost of the company’s temperature-controlled boxes and using Parcelforce to send the produce. He added that the minimum spend ensured he would not lose money, as many online retailers do with small purchases, “if someone only orders two jars of marmalade”.

He said he was targeting £5 million in sales and 500 deliveries a day within three years.

Giving local producers a platform to reach customers at a national level meant they could scale up without selling through the giant supermarket chains, he said. “It’s small numbers for the likes of Tesco but it’s very large numbers for a Cornish cheese maker.”

Colin Boswell, who grows garlic on the Isle of Wight and has a stall at Borough Market in South London, already sells 15 to 20 per cent of his garlic through his own website. Mr Boswell thinks the new site should boost sales further as it will enable him to reach customers who would not have encountered him before.

Mr Boswell admits that he thought the idea sounded far-fetched at first but is now a believer, even if it is virtual: “Eventually we may be able to smell the garlic perfume down the ether.”

NFU Praises Retailers’ Honest Food Labelling Move

By The Poultry Site News Desk

Source: The Poultry Site - http://tinyurl.com/ybxksh5

UK – The National Farmers Union (NFU) is pleased that Tesco and Morrison’s have signed up to the Conservative Party’s ‘Honest Food’ campaign, which is aimed at letting consumers know where the food they are buying is reared and sourced.

Currently country of origin labelling law covers where the food is manufactured, meaning the place where the last substantial change is made to a product, and on most foods labelling is only required if it would be misleading not to. However, the Honest Food campaign wants to see new rules, which are in line with NFU lobbying, to see all fresh and processed meats as well as dairy products given country of origin labels. Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Marks and Spencer have also added their support.

NFU director of policy Martin Haworth said, “Backing from Tesco for the Honest Food campaign is good news. The NFU would like to see all major retailers supporting this campaign to give their consumers the most accurate information about where their food comes from, and to stop misleading practices.

“We hope the new EU legislation on food labelling is used to make the country of origin labelling clearer so that consumers can make more informed choices when they shop. However, the new legislation will take years to come into effect so if the UK can move towards voluntarily labelling for country of origin this will allay our – and consumers’ – concerns. We look forward to seeing more evidence of retailer support for country of origin labelling on supermarket shelves.”

The NFU supports the Red Tractor logo which signifies to consumers which products have been grown and reared to independently inspected, quality assurance standards with the Union Flag in the logo denoting products that have been farmed, processed and packed in the UK, from field to fork.

Honesty the best policy, say consumers on food labelling

Source: FOODnavigator.com - http://tinyurl.com/ydz3xb4

Food manufacturers in the UK were criticised again this week over misleading food labels when the findings of a new report suggested that labels “are more likely to confuse and mislead consumers than inform them”.

The report – published by the National Consumer Council (NCC) – claims that the sheer number of labelling schemes has caused confusion among consumers who do not know what the labels mean, and the NCC is calling for a new code of practice.

NCC chairman Deirdre Hutton said: “Our research shows that consumers do not understand what the majority of logos mean. What is needed are credible labelling schemes which have great potential to inform consumers and offer them real choices.”

The NCC survey – carried out in November 2001 and commissioned by the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) – questioned a variety of respondents, including practising Jews and Muslims, low-income households, organic buyers and parents, and used a range of illustrative, branded and retailer own brand packaged foods as stimuli, including three labelling schemes.

Findings suggest that consumer confusion is caused by the fragmented approach to the way that food labelling schemes are developed and the sheer number of schemes. One consumer is quoted in the report as saying: “We want honesty, to be told the truth in black and white. A clear definition of what it stands for, up front, enabling consumers to make their own choice based on thinking and their pocket.”

So how has the food industry responded to the latest in a string of food labelling criticisms? Conciliatory words came rapidly from deputy director general of the UK Food and Drink Federation (FDF), Martin Paterson: “Manufacturers need to be able to differentiate their products from their competitors in the marketplace, but do have to try and get across as much information to consumers on what can sometimes be a very small space.”

But the report findings suggest that this information, whether large or small, can be misleading.

Rosemary Hignett, head of Food Labelling at the FSA, said: “The Food Standards Agency welcomes this report. It shows that the food industry and supermarkets need to do more to help consumers make informed choices. There are too many confusing logos and claims on foods, and too little of the clear factual information consumers want.

In the report, the council recommends that the FSA develop a series of measures to include a code of practice with a commitment to involve consumers in the design of schemes and to communicate the benefits of schemes to consumers in plain English, a Good Labelling Guide to encourage transparency, and – perhaps most significantly – consistent definitions for food claims which should be clear, accurate and widely understood by consumers.

Both the FSA and the NCC stressed the absolute need for the food industry to work closely with the consumer organisations and the FSA in order to achieve the objectives. The FSA is already committed to working with consumers, enforcement authorities and industry to develop and promote good labelling practice and improve consumer education and advice on food labelling.

Deirdre Hutton commented: “The changes we recommend will not be possible without industry buy-in. It is essential that manufacturers and retailers sign up to the good governance code of practice if it is to work. There are significant advantages to industry if they adopt good labelling practice as the resulting increase in consumer confidence could lead to improved sales.”

And how does the industry feel? “The FDF will consider the NCC report and will continue to engage with the FSA on this and other aspects of its Food Labelling Action Plan,” assured Martin Paterson.

It is clear that industry action must be prompt and effective. The issue of food labelling is one which simply refuses to go away, and is in fact gaining in momentum by the year. Last year, for example, the UK Consumer Association, voicing its concern over misleading logos, launched the ‘Honest Labelling’ campaign, but the issue was already a cause for concern as far back as 1993, when Sustain (the alliance for better farming and food) launched the Food Advertising Project to ensure that food advertising encourages healthy eating to help improve the health of future generations.

Undeniably, manufacturers and retailers need to find routes to gain the advantage in an ever more competitive market. But it is undoubtedly in the interest of both the consumer and the food industry that the issue of food labelling is tackled once and for all. Enough talking, it’s time for action.

Don’t buy a ‘turkey’ this Christmas

By Rob Ward

Source: Article Bliss  - http://tinyurl.com/yarlfy7

Despite Defra’s efforts to promote honest food labelling, campaigner Rob Ward warns of the perils facing shoppers looking for high quality authentic food, and suggests we may be serving up more than one turkey this Christmas.

Thursday 10 December Defra are hosting a Christmas market in Covent Garden featuring producers of foods registered under the EU Protected Food Names Scheme. This scheme offers legal protection to smaller food manufacturers to ensure that the way they describe the origin and nature of their products cannot be used by other producers who don’t adhere to the same restrictions on where and how the product is made.

Business consultant and expert on food provenance, Rob Ward, said: “The scheme, and Defra’s effort to promote UK companies who bear its marque, is commendable. But it does highlight an irony. The producers at the market will have spent a good deal of time and effort (and therefore money) applying for their Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), Protected Geographic Indication (PGI) or Traditional Speciality Guarantee (TSG) status.

“Meanwhile, our supermarket shelves remain stacked with products bearing misleading, ambiguous and, in some cases downright false, descriptions. Surely the burden should be on these companies to clean up their act, rather than on producers committed to honest labelling?”

Concerned that the wool was being pulled over consumers’ eyes by inaccurate and ambiguous labelling, Rob recently launched the Honest Food Labelling Campaign in a bid to fight food forgery. The campaign offers shoppers the opportunity to out sinners and praise angels in the food industry and hopes to use people power to force brands to make changes.

Ward explained: “Consumers have a right to be able to make informed choices about the food they buy and they can only do this if labelling is clear and honest, especially at this time of year when people are prepared to spend a bit more for what they believe to be authentic festive food.

“But they might be serving up a ‘real turkey’ rather than a real turkey for Christmas lunch. During my investigations I’ve spotted a feast of misleading labels. One example is a Tecos’British Goose Fat roasted Potatoes, British the potatoes maybe, but the Goose fat is not. Many more examples can be found at their Honest Labelling website.

And don’t forget – check the label on your festive fowl. If it doesn’t say ‘farm fresh turkey’ on the label, it isn’t a turkey fresh from the farm. And if it does, look for the TSG logo which proves it is what it says it is.”

Marks & Spencer changes its labels in victory for ‘honest food’ campaign

By Robert Mendick
Source: Telegraph.co.uk  - http://tinyurl.com/ykhzfsp

Marks & Spencer has backed The Sunday Telegraph ‘honest food’ campaign by announcing its meat, fish and dairy items will be clearly labelled with the country of origin.

The retailer said it will become the first major chain in the UK to clearly state the source of all its dairy produce. The move follows an investigation by The Sunday Telegraph into the sourcing of food and how it is labelled which showed how shoppers are often left baffled or misled.

The move by M&S marks a victory in this paper’s campaign for honest labelling. Two weeks ago The Sunday Telegraph revealed how more cheddar cheese was being imported from Latvia than was being made in the Somerset village of Cheddar itself – and that consumers were none the wiser. British dairy farmers have complained how their industry is being undermined – leading to many farmers quitting the milk business – by cheap imports of cheese and other dairy products.

Now M&S has agreed to state on labels the origin of all its dairy produce. The company already includes country of origin labelling for fresh fish and meat.

M&S Director of Food John Dixon said last week: “We’re really pleased to be supporting the Sunday Telegraph campaign – clear and honest labelling is at the heart of the M&S food business and we believe all our customers should be able to see at a glance where the food they buy from our stores has come from.”

M&S will start relabelling its own brand dairy products from January including not only milk, butter and cheese but also ice-cream and creme fraîche. Labels will not only state where the product was made but where the milk comes from.

Under current labelling laws, supermarkets are under no obligation to state where dairy products originate – provided that labels are not misleading. Cheddar cheese, for example although thought of as the quintessential British cheese, can come from the Continent – and often does – without any requirement to tell consumers.

M&S said that where a dairy product is made in the UK and all the main ingredients are sourced from the UK, it will be labelled ‘Product of the UK’. Similarly, where all the main ingredients for a product are sourced, made and packaged in a single country, the food will be labelled as a product of that country. For instance, St Agur cheese will be labelled ‘Product of France’.

Where dairy products are made in the UK but foreign ingredients are also included, such as with a Brandy butter, a declaration of ‘Made in the UK with British milk’ will be given – since brandy is not produced in the UK.

‘Lincolnshire sausages’ at centre of food labelling controversy

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) in the East Midlands says its campaign for local food has been vindicated further following revelations that ’Lincolnshire’ sausages, sold by one of Britain’s most famous food brands, are actually made with frozen pork from Germany. Read more »

Farmer hits out at food forgeries, campaign to name and shame counterfeit food launches:

Some of Britain’s food producers are duping supermarket shoppers with fake food – hiding the real source of ingredients and using underhand tactics to confuse the buyer, a leading food expert revealed today. Read more »