New measures to improve transparency in food labelling and to make sure British food stands out from imported food have been unveiled by the government.
The plans, to be announced at the Oxford Farming Conference today (4 January), aim to encourage consumers to back British farmers more by buying local food.
They will include a consultation on proposals to make food labelling clearer, such as highlighting when imported products do not meet UK welfare standards.
The measures also aim to help ensure food produced to the highest standards is consistently labelled.
Defra Secretary Steve Barclay will speak with major online retailers to identify ways to better support online customers to understand the origin of their food products at the point of purchase.
This will include the option of a buy British button, with retailer Morrisons already pledging to introduce.
Mr Barclay will say at the Oxford Farming Conference: “British farmers take pride in producing food that meets, and often exceeds, our world-leading animal welfare and environmental standards.
“British consumers want to buy this top-quality food, but too often products produced to lower standards overseas aren’t clearly labelled to differentiate them.
“This is why I am proud to announce that we will consult on clearer food labelling so we can tackle the unfairness created by misleading labelling and protect farmers and consumers.”
Outside of their overall sourcing policies, most major supermarkets do not yet have a ‘buy British’ function across their food ranges.
However, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose websites have sections for seasonal British produce on their fruit and vegetables page.
Sainsbury’s also allows shoppers to select British meat and fish at a click, while Ocado has a ‘Best of British’ page.
The NFU recently released a survey showing that most people (81%) agreed that British farms should grow as much food as they can to boost food security.
The union's president Minette Batters also called for the government to make food security a top priority for 2024.
"Food security must be a top priority for any government and investing in our farming and growing sector is essential for productivity, job creation, and economic and environmental delivery," she said.
"This new year, let’s build on the momentum of the public’s unwavering support and forge a path towards a resilient and thriving British agricultural sector so we can continue what we do best – producing great British food."
