The prime minister has backed calls for retailers add a 'buy British' button on their websites to encourage more consumers to support local farmers.
Rishi Sunak said during the most recent Prime Minister's Questions that supermarket chains should "do all they can" to showcase British food.
Morrisons is the first major retailer to respond to an industry call to provide shoppers with easier means of identifying UK-grown produce
The move followed an open letter written by Conservative MP Dr Luke Evans to the chief executives of the UK's eight major retailers.
He asked for a filter which would direct shoppers to homegrown food to help boost the economy and cut the UK’s carbon footprint.
The letter was was co-signed by 121 cross-party MPs, and echoed a long-standing farming industry ask dating back to 2016.
During PMQs on 13 December, Mr Sunak added his support to the campaign: "This government will always back our farmers, and we welcome the work on this particular issue.
"We will continue to encourage all retailers to do all they can to showcase the incredible food produced right here, in the United Kingdom."
— National Farmers' Union (@NFUtweets) December 13, 2023
Prime Minister @RishiSunak thanks @drlukeevans MP and the NFU for our work on the #BuyBritishButton in PMQs today ????#BackBritishFarming pic.twitter.com/NvjH1eoY3f
"We absolutely support calls for industry-led action on this topic, we welcome the news of the buy British button at Morrisons.
"We will continue to encourage all retailers to do all they can to showcase the incredible food produced right here, in the United Kingdom."
NFU President Minette Batters welcomed the attention given to the campaign: “We have been asking retailers to commit to signposting British produce for a number of years.
“We know from our own independent survey that 86% of the public want to buy more British food, but it is often tricky to determine what products are produced in the UK.
"This simple change would help shoppers do that.”
