Brand names to be public in food surveys

22 July 1997

Brand names to be public in food surveys

BRAND names of food products tested in surveys will be made public as part of new Labours open government promise to consumers.

Food safety minister Jeff Rooker said the government will publish a list of surveys planned for each year, reasons for the research and the type of food to be examined.

Mr Rooker said the results of the tests on the safety, authenticity or nutritional quality of commonly available foods will allow consumers to make a more informed choice about the foods they buy.

Its only fair that we announce the brand names of foods that have been tested and show the results on a product by product basis. Of course, we will make every effort to ensure our tests are scrupulously fair and do not favour one manufacturer over another, Mr Rooker said.

A spokesman for the Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) said the government carries out more than 100 surveys a year which includes surveys rising from a particular concern or surveys randomly conducted.