Asked by: Paul Sweeney (Labour (Co-op) - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to end the use of food labels which are likely to mislead consumers; and whether his Department plans to introduce mandatory labelling on the farming method used for (a) meat, (b) milk and (c) dairy products.
Answered by George Eustice
Under the Food Information to Consumers Regulations (EU 1169/2011) it is a requirement that food information shall not be misleading, as to its country of origin or place of provenance, method of manufacture or production or by attributing to the food effects or properties which it does not possess.
It is a key priority as the UK prepares to leave the EU to ensure there remains a robust and effective regulatory regime for maintaining the safety of food for the benefit of UK consumers and of the UK food industry. The Secretary of State has set out our ambition to develop a recognised gold standard system for food and farming quality, to ensure that we maintain the highest standards of quality and transparency for consumers and take opportunities to market British food across the world.