Consumer Guide to Country of Origin Information on Food Labels

Friday 25 June 2010

As part of their National Food and Drink Policy, the Scottish Government asked the Food Standards Agency in Scotland to produce guidance on country of origin labelling for consumers in Scotland.

Several pieces of research, both in Scotland and across the UK, have identified consumer interest in origin information for meat and meat products and other fresh foods such as fish, dairy and fruit and vegetables. The research has also highlighted that there is some confusion among consumers over the descriptions and terms used on food labels.

Existing Food Standards Agency guidance on country of origin labelling (see link below) provides technical information to the food industry and enforcement staff and benefits consumers through encouraging more informative labelling practices. The principles set out in the existing guidance have been used to develop the new guide specifically for consumers in Scotland.

In developing the guide, the Food Standards Agency in Scotland consulted a cross section of stakeholders, representing all stages of the food production chain from farming, food processing and retailing. They also included food enforcers and logo holders of the Protected European Food Name Scheme – Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb. Importantly, this work involved consultation with consumer groups, both in the form of independently facilitated workshops and formal responses.

The new guide provides easy to read background to the current rules on country of origin labelling and highlights foods where specific origin labelling rules apply. The guide uses examples based on actual food labels. It also helps explain the meaning of some of the terms and logos found on products sold in Scotland making clear whether or not they are intended to give origin information.

In addition to the A5 booklet, the Food Standards Agency in Scotland has produced fact sheets for beef, fish, dairy and fruit and vegetables. The fact sheets provide consumers with a quick and easy reference to the country of origin labelling of these foods.