Memorandum submitted by Pippa Woods
LABELLING
A reasonable amount of useful information is
now given on labels, with the following caveats on the nutrition
information: it is confusing having kJ and kcal. kJ may be a EU
requirement, but if so there should be a derogation for labels
printed in English. Calories are what interest people. I am told
that many people do not understand this information, so more education
on this is needed.
The ingredients section is straightforward until
the "Es". These must be totally pointless to most people,
except that they may consider the fewer the better, and favour
products with none, which is fine. Some "Fs" may be
dubious substances and others are well known and presumed harmless
ones. No doubt they save space and conform to legal requirements
but they are not helpful.
As regards labelling, hopefully, you are consulting
all possible consumer organisations, including WIs and Towns Women's
Guilds to find out what they want on labels.
All fresh produce, especially meat, should have
"country of origin"—not where it is packed or
processed. The inconspicuous little white, oval label often says
"UK", but it is not known if that means grown or merely
processed in the UK. Likewise, "assured" is on foreign
meat as well as properly inspected British farm assured. Indeed,
no one now knows if the Little Red Tractor signifies home produced.
As regards that symbol, it started as a bright
idea to assist marketing and has ended up as a pointless exercise
costing farmers time and money. Studies have shown that few customers
recognise it or know what it means. For farmers it is just another
regulation. From experience of the monitoring I would say that
the determined rogue with malpractices could easily evade detection.
Whereas the normal farmer is fulfilling all the requirements (except
perhaps some of the paperwork) in the course of normal husbandry.
It is hard to see how labelling could indicate
that food is safe. If it is not safe it should not be for sale.
Likewise, whether it was produced by ethical methods, such considerations
as fair trade, organic etc, are usually indicated in the hope
of attracting buyers.
Mrs Pippa Woods
Chairman, The Family Farmers' Association
April 2004
| 
