In an open letter to UK retailers, 110 MPS have called on supermarkets to back British produce by creating a ‘Buy British’ section on their websites.
The letter stated: “We hear time and time again from farmers themselves that the best way support them is to buy British produce. By signposting shoppers, you give the consumers who want to support our nation’s farmers even greater choice.“
MP signatures include former Defra Secretary Theresa Villiers, Climate Minister Graham Stuart and chair of the Environmental Audit Committee Rt Hon Philip Dunne MP. Members of the Commons’ EFRA Committee also signed the letter.
In response to the letter, NFU president Minette Batters said: “We have been asking retailers to commit to signposting British produce for a number of years, so it’s great to see MPs and their constituents getting behind the idea of a ‘buy British tab’ online.
“We know from our own independent survey that 86% of the public want to buy more British food, but it is often tricky to determine what products are produced in the UK and this simple change would help shoppers do that.”
Supermarkets already label in-store British products like meat, dairy, fish, fruit, vegetables and grains. MPs are now calling for online products to be collated so that the information can be found quickly and easily.
