February 13, 2007

UK farmers union wants country-of-origin food labels amid bird flu concerns

The National Farmers' Union Monday called for food to be clearly labelled with its country-of-origin, as the country's food standards agency said it hopes to confirm this week whether or not poultry infected with the H5N1 virus reached supermarket shelves, the Financial Times newspaper reports Tuesday.

"Most of the damage to the industry from bird flu is from the uncertainty and confusion in the minds of consumers. One way for people to be clearer about the food they are eating is to have products very clearly labelled," said Kevin Pearce, head of food and farming at the National Farmers' Union.

Under British law, food that is processed in the UK can be labelled as made in the UK, even if its ingredients are sourced elsewhere.

The Food Standards Agency is investigating whether poultry products processed by Bernard Matthews PLC and sold to consumers were infected with bird flu, as it is illegal to sell infected meat.