I have raised a motion in the Scottish Parliament and written to the Scottish Government calling for more to be done to provide greater transparency on food origin labelling.
Conclusions from a recent widespread consumer survey, conducted on behalf of National Farmers Union (NFU) Scotland found that “the current regulations, policy, and practice in relation to labelling of food products sold across the UK is confusing, vague and often misleading, creating a complete lack of transparency for consumers“.
Mirroring the findings in the survey, many constituents have also raised with me the importance they place on the origin of their food with many highlighting that signage is often inadequate or that it is unclear as to what the origin of the products being purchased actually is.
It is evidently clear that many consumers believe in buying locally produced foods and recognise the benefits this has to local economies and farming communities.
The fact that 78% of consumers in Scotland say they are willing to spend more on local food highlights perfectly why we should do more to invest in and support local production. As well as the environmental impact of reducing food miles, it also helps with food resilience and generating strong local economies.
I hope the Scottish Government are willing to listen to the points raised by the findings of the NFU survey and investigate what action can be taken as a result.
All across Mid Scotland and Fife we have excellent high quality local food production, and if we can do more to support and expand the purchase of local food then I think we should. In an unstable world we must ensure we do more to support and enhance local food production, supporting local farming communities.
The benefits are clear – and if we can help reduce food miles while at the same time eating high quality food produced locally that supports our local economy, then we should do all we can to support that.
Motion enclosed below –
Motion Number: S6M-15077
Lodged By: Alex Rowley
Date Lodged: 29/10/2024
Title: Food Origin Labelling to Help Informed Choice
Motion Text:
That the Parliament acknowledges the conclusions of a widespread consumer survey, conducted on behalf of National Farmers Union (NFU) Scotland, that “the current regulations, policy, and practice in relation to labelling of food products sold across the UK is confusing, vague and often misleading, creating a complete lack of transparency for consumers”; calls on governments, with support from retailers, to do more to tackle a food labelling system that it considers drives confusion and poor transparency regarding the origin of produce; understands that, as part of the findings, six in 10 consumers (59% across the UK and 62% in Scotland) said that country of origin was important, with only 41% of consumers in Scotland feeling that they know either a lot or a fair amount about where their food was grown and produced; recognises the survey’s finding that only 57% of consumers in Scotland think that it is usually clear which country the food they buy comes from, and that only 49% think that information about the country of origin on display is adequate; accepts the findings that an estimated 66% of consumers in Scotland believe that a primary benefit to purchasing local foods is that it supports the local economy, with 50% believing that a primary benefit of this is preserving farming communities, with a significant 78% of consumers in Scotland being willing to spend more on local food; appreciates that consumers across the country are, it considers, supportive of local food producers, and believes, therefore, that there is a demand for greater transparency on food origin labelling to help informed choice.
