“Local” Meat Isn’t So Local In The UK

Authorities have discovered frequent cases of improperly labeled “local” food products, including meat and dairy, within the United Kingdom.

Investigators examined 558 food products labeled as “local” from restaurants and retail stores in the United Kingdom and found that at least 18% of these claims were false, while another 14% were not subject to confirmation and therefore assumed to be false.

The false claims were found across all food sectors, with nearly one out of every five restaurant descriptions being misleading. The products most frequently found to be misleading included meat and dairy, more specifically, half of all poultry items, 29% of all sausage items, 27% of beef and lamb items, and 24% of all dairy products.

Specific cases of misleading labeling found included New Zealand lamb identified as Welsh lamb, ham from Denmark labeled as Devon ham, and Devon chicken that actually had been imported from outside the United Kingdom.