British farmers are accusing the bosses of the country's “big six” supermarkets of wrongly branding their own-brand food as supplied from “quaint family farms”.
According to Farmers Against Farmwashing campaign, the grocery chains are using fake farm brands and Union Jack branding to give shoppers the impression that their products come from rustic independent producers.
It claims that, in reality, much of the food is sourced from “industrial US-style mega-farms” or from overseas, masking the decline of Britain’s family farms.
The open letter has been signed by more than 100 figures from the farming and food industry as well as industry bodies such as Sustain, the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission and the Soil Association.
The campaign states on its website, "Supermarket farmwashing is masking a harsh reality – the decline of Britain’s small family farms. Walk around your local supermarket. You might notice the Union Jack proudly displayed in the fruit & veg aisle, and farm brands such as Tesco’s Redmere Farms.
"The reality? Much of the produce under those British flags will be imported, or from a mega-farm and Redmere Farm doesn't exist. This misleading marketing is called farmwashing and it needs to stop, because it undermines real British family farmers who are struggling to survive.
"We’re asking the supermarkets to show a little integrity, be transparent with their sourcing and offer real support for Britain’s family farmers, before it’s too late."
Farmers Against Farmwashing highlighted a survey it had conducted of more than 200 farmers that found nearly two thirds were concerned that they would have to give up their farms within the next 18 months.
Only one in four said that they thought claims from supermarkets of supporting British farmers were credible and backed up by their buying practices.
The poll found that two thirds felt under pressure from supermarkets’ buying practices and a similar proportion feared that they would be delisted if they complained.
Guy Singh-Watson, the founder of Riverford Organic Farmers who is leading the campaign, said: “British farming is at a breaking point. The public cares deeply about where their food comes from — the supermarkets know this and they are using that trust to steal farmer stories and to hoodwink shoppers into thinking they are buying from those small-scale, traditional British farms.
“Yet the reality is that these farms are being pushed to the brink. Is this the future we want for our food system and our countryside?
“If we want a future where our food system is resilient, our landscapes are preserved and our farmers are treated fairly, we need more honesty and decency in the supply chain.”
This comes after a recent investigation by Which? that found that some shoppers could easily be misled by supermarkets’ use of Union Jack labels. The investigation also mentioned that Union Jacks and “Made in Britain” stamps were printed on the packaging of some Aldi pork and beef products, even though they used EU meat.
It also said that shelves laden with tomatoes from Morocco, parsley from Italy and sweet mini peppers from Spain sat on a shelf under a large banner decorated with a Union Jack, The Times reported.
Commenting on the claims, Andrew Opie, of the British Retail Consortium, which represents the supermarkets, said, “Supermarkets are always keen to promote British farming and 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.”
