Country of Origin Labelling & Tesco

[wanton dwarf]

Noticed that some meat I bought in Tesco had no country of Origin - I will always try to buy from the UK.

So I decided to lookup why. See the Twitter response that came up in my search - however the response from Tesco doesn't seem correct, even from a casual glance. So I searched again and found that an EU law came in on April 2020 that mandated country of origin based on the primary ingredient. Looks to me as though Tesco was repacking products and saying their country of origin was UK ? Am I correct ?

 

[Widgetone]

Yes you may be correct in that processing in the UK and the product can then magically become UK origin.

Not completely 100% on this, but I was told a lot of premium flour on sale is actually Russian wheat..
But to be fair, understand Tesco is not guilty of this - its the other supermarkets

 

[le bon paysan]

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• The Red Label, a sign of superior quality

The Red Label, a sign of superior quality
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11/05/2022
SIGN OF QUALITY

INAO

Pascal Xicluna / agriculture.gouv.fr
Flour, poultry, eggs... The mention “Label rouge” appears on many products, whether intended for consumption or not. What does it mean?

The Label rouge (LR) is the French quality sign which designates products which, by their production or manufacturing conditions, have a higher level of quality compared to other similar common products.

In addition to the sensory characteristics of the product, superior quality is based on:

• Production conditions, which differ from the production conditions of similar products;
• The image of the product with regard to its production conditions;
• Presentation or service elements.

Maintaining superior taste quality over time is monitored by regularly carrying out sensory analyzes and organoleptic tests that compare the Label rouge product with the current product.
The products that can benefit from the Label rouge certification are mainly foodstuffs, including seafood. It can also be attributed to non-food and unprocessed agricultural products, such as Christmas trees. The red label is open to products regardless of their geographical origin, including outside the European Union.
Products already labeled with a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) or a Traditional Specialty Guaranteed (TSG) can also benefit from the Label rouge mention. Attention, those who already have an appellation of origin (AOC and AOP) cannot be Label rouge.

How does a product become Label Rouge?​

There are more than 400 Label Rouge specifications approved by the public authorities.
They mainly concern free-range meat poultry, but also other meats (large cattle, lambs, pigs, calves), charcuterie/salted products, fish products, fruit and vegetables, processed products (pizza, shepherd's pie, etc.), horticultural products (lawn, geranium plants, etc.), flour, honey, etc.
Requests for recognition or modification of Label Rouge specifications are submitted by a group of producers or processors recognized as a defense and management body. They are filed and processed within the National Institute for Origin and Quality (INAO).
Compliance with the specifications is checked by certifying bodies accredited by the French Accreditation Committee (Cofrac) and approved by the INAO.
The “Label rouge” logo is the trademark owned by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. It must be affixed to any product benefiting from the label, accompanied by the approval number and the communicating certified characteristics chosen (for example: "melon picked at full maturity" for melon specifications or "fillets cooked in court-bouillon, lifted and arranged by hand” for a specification of canned mackerel fillets).

The Red Label, an asset​

The Label Rouge is a sign that benefits from a very strong reputation among consumers (95% of consumers are aware of it – 2019 study by the National Food Council and the National Consumer Institute). It allows professionals to offer superior quality products and is very attractive and competitive within the sectors. It generates better value for products which benefits the whole of France.
The origins of the Label Rouge
It was the agricultural orientation law of August 5, 1960 which created the agricultural label at the request of professionals, under the impetus of the Minister of Agriculture at the time, Henri Rochereau. A year later, the conditions for homologation were fixed. In 1965, Landes chicken obtained the first Label Rouge in food history. It was not until 1983 that a decree made the display of the logo compulsory.

 

[Courier]

So despite the not inconsiderable publicity given to the fact that the UK pseudo government has decided that EU rules are irrelevant somehow Tesco gets blamed for not applying them

 

[delilah]

Noticed that some meat I bought in Tesco

Got that far and gave up.

 

[wanton dwarf]

So despite the not inconsiderable publicity given to the fact that the UK pseudo government has decided that EU rules are irrelevant somehow Tesco gets blamed for not applying them

I imagine that because of the either the cost or the fact the country of origin can no longer be fudged - then the obvious easy way out is not to put one on.

I would guess this is being done because Tesco must supply goods to Europe - otherwise the EU law could be ignored.

Doesn't help UK consumers though.