Most dairy products in UK have country of origin labelling

The majority of meat and dairy products now feature information on where their ingredients came from or where they were produced, according to research announced by British Food Minister Jim Paice.
The survey looked at labels on over 500 meat and dairy products purchased from the major retailers and a number of independent shops. It is the first evaluation of country of origin labelling since the food industry put in place voluntary standards to provide clearer country of origin information to consumers last November.
All butter in the survey was labelled with either the origin of the milk or the place where it was manufactured, or both, while 77% of cheese showed the origin of the milk or the place it was manufactured.
For liquid milk, 86% of products sampled had some form of origin labelling, with half of all milk showing the origin of the milk, while just over a third showed where it was manufactured.
However with fresh cream, a third of products showed no origin statement, and only one sample in six showed where the milk came from, with half showing where it was manufactured.
All retailers’ own-label liquid milk included a statement about where the milk came from, while 59% of branded milk met the same standards. The food industry expects to see further improvements in meeting the voluntary principles as stocks of old packaging and labelling, manufactured before November, are used up.
“Honest food labelling is a priority for me. Consumers want to see clear, honest labels that allow them to make a choice about the standards and origin of their food,” Paice says. “They are entitled to believe that if a label says or implies that a product is British, it is British. The food industry has already taken the initiative on this, but today’s results show there’s still room for improvement. People are increasingly eating out so we’ll work with the catering sector to make sure they get the right information as well.”
The research can be found at www.defra.gov.uk/food-farm/food/labelling/country-origin/