December 13, 2006

UK meat group urges greater scrutiny of foreign pork in supermarkets 

UK's Meat and Livestock Commision (MLC) have claimed that supermarkets, including Sainsbury's, Somerfield and Morrisons, are not committed to their pledge to sell only pork and bacon raised to the same welfare standards as the UK.

MLC submitted evidence to the Competition Commission, pointing to a rapid growth in tertiary brands that do not carry the retailer's brand name and whose meats come from farming systems that would have been illegal in the UK.

In their defense, the supermarkets said that the reality was that the UK was not self-sufficient in this sector and the chain had to supplement the shortfall with sources from elsewhere to meet consumer demand. He pointed out that UK pork supplies 45 percent of the market, and all imported pork clearly have their country of origin labeled.

MLC consumer affairs director, Richard Lowe said consumers are easily misled by on-pack labels and they should be allowed to make an informed choice.