Are Food Companies Misleading Consumers By Including Foreign Ingredients in “British” Foods?

August 29, 2010: 02:43 AM EST

A News of the World report says U.K. food companies are labeling dishes as “British” even though they contain components from other countries. Ready meals, meats and dairy goods carrying the British label may be misleading consumers who want to support local meat producers. Among the offenders are major store brands and food products from companies like Wall's, Young's and Heinz, according to the report, which notes that the practice is legal because of a labeling law loophole: food products processed in the U.K. can be labeled “British-made” no matter where the ingredients come from. Several Tesco frozen meals, for example, are labeled British but include meat from Thailand. The practice is confusing consumers who buy British foods thinking “they are supporting a local farmer," a Mintel analyst noted.

Daniel Jones & Claire Kane, "Dishes being labelled British despite having foreign ingredients", News of the World, August 29, 2010, © News International Group

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