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21 Aug 2018
One quarter of UK shoppers lack confidence in food labels, research finds
The research, from the Lloyd’s Register UK Food Trends Report, exposed a ‘climate of mistrust’, with particular concern around organic labels.
Lauren Dean
The integrity of food labelling has been called into question, with a new study showing at least one-quarter of UK shoppers admit they ‘lack confidence’ in product labels.
The research, from the Lloyd’s Register UK Food Trends Report, exposed a ‘climate of mistrust’, with particular concern around organic labels.
Results revealed 26.9 per cent of consumers suggested they were ‘not confident at all’ that food products labelled organic were grown or reared using organic methods.
But Lee Holdstock, senior business development manager at Soil Association certification, said: "When a product is labelled as organic, every step in the supply chain is independently inspected and certified by an approved body.
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"This means consumers can be confident when they see an organic logo, they are buying a truly organic product.”
The survey came as the practices of Farm Wilder, which sells ‘wildlife-friendly’ produce from a range of farms, were questioned in an article, ‘Has our meat industry gone cuckoo?’, written for the Riverford Wicked Leeks website.
Blurred lines
The Farm Wilder website was using the Pasture-Fed Livestock Association (PFLA) logo, despite the fact that not all of its suppliers were meeting PFLA standards because they were transitioning to a 100 per cent pasture-fed position.
Though Anna Heaton, head of the certification committee at the PFLA, told Wicked Leeks she believed Farm Wilder had ‘good intentions’.
She said: “Our certification should only ever be used for 100 per cent pasture-fed products, and that is where the line is getting a little blurred.”
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