When ‘local’ isn’t local

Aware of increasing consumer interest in buying local, council food enforcement officers recently visited over 300 premises across England and Wales where food is either on sale or being manufactured to ensure customers are not being misled.  They discovered that in up to a third of all cases, ‘local’ in food labels is a lie. Somerset butter from Scotland, Welsh lamb from New Zealand and West Country fish fillets filleted in China are just some of the false ‘local food’ claims misleading consumers who believe they are buying local produce, according to the report published by Local Government Regulation, the regulatory department of the UK’s Local Government Association.In total, 558 products labelled as local (65% from restaurants, 23% from retail shops and 12% from manufacturers and others) were investigated, with many cases requiring further documentary confirmation.  Full inspections revealed that at least 18% of the claims were undoubtedly false with a further 14% unable to be confirmed and therefore assumed false.

These false claims were found at similar levels across all food sectors with almost one in five restaurant descriptions misleading customers.  Meat and dairy products were frequently misleading with 50% of poultry, 29% of sausages, 27% of both beef and lamb and 24% of dairy products all completely false.

Cllr Paul Bettison, chairman of Local Government Regulation, said:

“To have around a third of all items investigated turn out to be false or potentially false is extremely worrying.  Councils are working with businesses to make sure consumers have the information they need and that they are not being ripped off.

“Many people want to support local businesses or choose food that has not travelled from the other side of the world, so it is vital that they have accurate information to help them make their choices.

“At present there is no widely agreed definition of the term `local’ and it isn’t acceptable.  Everyone should be operating in a fair environment and following the same rules.  Defra and the food industry must agree the definition of  ‘local’.  Whether it is food manufactured within the county or within a 30 mile radius, any agreement would certainly help protect consumers.

“Businesses focusing on local food production operate at the heart of local communities and are vital to the local economy.  Local food claims help create a sense of community identity, promote local tourism and events such as farmers’ markets and help build closer rural communities.”

Food Law Practice Guidance states local and localised should mean: “Sales within the supplying establishment’s own county plus the greater of either the neighbouring county or counties or 30 miles/50 kilometres from the boundary of the supplying establishment’s county.”

Examples of false claims in LGR’s report include:

‘Somerset butter’  from  Scotland
‘Welsh lamb’ from  New Zealand
‘Devon ham’  from Denmark
‘Somerset brie’ from France
‘English honey’  from the EU and elsewhere
‘Devon chicken breasts’ that were imported
Ice cream sold as local but actually manufactured by Carte D’Or
Cream sold as local that was actually Elmlea cream substitute
Chilli sausage with ‘local chillies from Yorkshire’ that were purchased from a supermarket

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