Consumers call for clear ingredients labelling

Consumers have called for clearer food manufacturing and origin labelling on packaging, it has been claimed.

According the UK's National Farmers' Union (NFU), consumers want to know exactly where their food comes from.

The call from the NFU comes ahead of a European Parliament decision on legislation surrounding food labelling.

NFU deputy president Meurig Raymond said: "Labelling needs to provide accurate, clear and relevant information so consumers can make an informed choice."

"Consumers want consistency in labelling across all sectors," he added.

Mr Raymond pointed to a recent Which? survey, which found that some 77 per cent of people claimed that it was important that labelling explained where food was produced and processed.

Meanwhile, bread brand Hovis, which is owned by Premier Foods, is to become the first major bread maker in the UK to source all of its ingredients from within the country.

The firm will stop importing wheat at the beginning of next year and create a network of 600 domestic farmers over the course of the next five years.