Open letter calls for supermarkets to be honest about produce - as Sussex farms risk closure
So-called "farmwashing" could see over sixty percent of the UK's truly local farmers quitting in the next eighteen months.
An open letter's calling on supermarkets to stop being misleading about where their produce comes from - as Sussex's family-run farms come under threat.
So-called 'farm washing', which sees shops use fake farm names and the Union Jack to make overseas produce seem local, could see three fifths of UK farmers quitting completely over the next eighteen months, according to new research from Riverford Organic Farmers.
The campaign says shoppers are also being misled, believing they're supporting the British economy and traditional farming practices with their purchases, when instead the products have been "imported and repackaged here," says East Grinstead Farmer Tom Morphew:
"It's been repacked in the UK - not grown in the UK.
"A lot of it is using some pretty hideous chemicals. Some of them are very, very damaging to the environment.
"If a lot of people knew the truth about farming and where their food came from, they'd choose not to buy that."
More than 90 signatories including a collective of farmers have written the letter to the CEOs of the ‘Big Six’ supermarkets, asking them to honour their promises of supporting British farmers with better buying practices.
However, Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, says "supermarkets are always keen to promote British farming":
"They follow the strict legislation on the labelling of food, including the use of flags. In fact, they pushed the Government to tighten these rules earlier this year.
"Retailers create new farm brands for some of their own-label goods in order to help consumers find the quality goods they are looking for."