Welsh hill farmer renews call for food labelling system

Welsh hill farmer and well-known media personality Gareth Wyn Jones has renewed his calls for a traffic light-style food labelling system to help consumers buy British.

Mr Wyn Jones, who runs an 809ha farm with vegetables and livestock in Llanfairfechan, north Wales, says better food labelling is needed to help consumers make informed choices and support UK farmers.

He recently posted a photo on Facebook which shows the commingling of Welsh, British and New Zealand lamb in the same chiller at a Tesco supermarket.

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Although the price per kilogram was the same for each half leg of lamb, Mr Wyn Jones said supermarkets need to do more to help busy shoppers understand their buying choices and allow them to seek out more home-produced food to support our farmers.

“I think we need a traffic light system now more than ever. I said it about six years ago and my view hasn’t changed,” he told Farmers Weekly.

“For example, black would be for worldwide produce, amber for anything produced in the EU and green for everything that is produced in Great Britain.

“Currently, it is hard for consumers to make informed choices. But a simplified labelling system would really help.”

Value of buying British

Mr Wyn Jones said the cost-of-living crisis was influencing people’s buying choices and many were seeking out the cheapest products. But more must be done to explain to consumers the value of buying British.

“Clearer labelling of grass-fed lamb produced in Wales or elsewhere in the UK would explain that the meat is more nutritionally dense and healthier for you and has a lower carbon footprint,” he added.

“This information could be stored in a QR code that shoppers could scan on their phones to help them understand the pros and cons of what they’re buying.”

NFU Cymru president Aled Jones said: “NFU Cymru has long called for clearer country-of-origin labelling. This call is even more important now in the context of the increased number of products from third countries we are likely to see entering the UK as a result of trade deals negotiated by the UK government.

“We believe that new, stricter legislation on clear food labelling should govern not only food and drink in the retail sector, but should extend throughout the food chain and to the food service and hospitality sectors.

High standards

“At a time when environmental, ethical and, increasingly, price concerns are influencing consumers’ purchasing decisions, it is imperative that consumers hoping to benefit from the nutritious and sustainable credentials of Welsh food and drink products, produced to high standards of animal welfare across a range of price points, can identify the Welsh brand quickly and easily.”

A spokesman for Tesco said: “We’re extremely proud to work with British lamb farmers and our organic and Finest ranges are always 100% British lamb.

“To meet demand, we also source a proportion of our lamb from New Zealand, which means we can offer our customers quality, availability and good value all year round.”