Delicious UK – (10)October 2019

a good rant.

146 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

It’s time for honest

labelling... NOW

ILLUSTRATION: GETTY IMAGES

whichledtoincreaseddemandfor

higher-welfareeggsandhelpedto drive

welfareimprovementsformillions of

egg-layinghens.

Consumersshouldbeempowered to

choose,notbekeptinthedarkor misled.

A clear,mandatorylabellingscheme based

onproductionmethodis essential. Such

a schemewouldensurethatproducts that

arefarmedtohighstandardsofanimal

welfarearemarkedaccordingly– and that

thosefromintensivelyrearedanimals are

clearlymarkedtoo.

Experienceshowsthatinforming

consumersoftherealitiesofintensive

foodproductioncanbeaneffective way

tochangethesystemforthebetter.

Buildingonthesuccessachieved in the

eggindustry,honestlabellingcan help

shedlightonthehorrorsoffactory

farmingandcreatea kindersystem –

forfarmanimals,peopleandthe planet.

A

shopper standinginthe

supermarket meatanddairy

section can be overwhelmedby

confusing and misleadinglabels.Phrases

like ‘all natural’ and ‘farmfresh’givethe

impression that animalsaretreatedwell

on farms, but these termshavenolegal

definition – they’re meaningless.

To add to the confusion,there’sanother

factor at play. Some productshave

packaging designed to giveanimpression

of high-welfare farming:imagesofgreen

fields, trees, outdoor scenes,cosyfamily

farms, happy animals... Atbestthis

packaging gives an unclearimpression.

At worst it’s misleading,presentinga

factory-farmed product –fromananimal

confined indoors throughoutitslifeor

crammed into a barren cage,unableto

express natural behaviours,forexample

• as coming from a higher-welfaresystem.
  Understandably, manyconsumersare
  taken in by this power ofsuggestion.
  Even I, the CEO of CompassioninWorld
  Farming with a wealth ofknowledgeonthe
  subject, find labels hard todecipher.It’snot
  hard to work out why thesesmokescreens
  are used: the truth aboutfactoryanimal

The bucolic scenes and reassuring phrases on meat and dairy

packaging are often a world away from the reality. Animal welfare

campaigner Philip Lymbery believes it’s time for a change

farming isn’t advertised on food labels

because it’s an unsavoury one. In the UK,

more than 70 per cent of the animals

raised each year are factory farmed. These

inhumane farming practices are hidden

behind closed doors, out of the public view.

This is the bleak reality, but consumer

power can change it. We can demand that

shoppers are given clarity when choosing

their products, making it easier to opt for

foods that are better for animal welfare. In

2004,themandatorylabellingschemefor

eggswasintroduced.Underit,eggsmust

be labelled as ‘from caged hens’, ‘barn

eggs’, ‘free-range’ or ‘organic’. After its

introduction, UK production of cage-free

eggs increased from 31 per cent in 2003 to

over 60 per cent at present.

This is an inspiring example of how

honest labelling can re-shape the market.

Consumers finally had the full picture,

In the UK, more than

70 per cent of the animals

raised each year are

factory farmed

DoyouagreewithPhilipordo

youtakea differentview?Tellus

[email protected]

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