Supermarkets face “fake” farms complaint from farmers
Supermarkets are under fire over the use of "fake" farms to promote products to customers and farmers have now lodged an official complaint with authorities over the use of the branding my supermarkets.
The National Farmers Union (NFU) has filed a formal complaint with Trading Standards over the use of names such as "Woodside Farm" by Tesco, arguing they are misleading to customers.
Read more: It turns out farming is more digital than finance
“I have spoken to senior management at Tesco to highlight our members concerns about the use of these fake farm brands," said NFU president Meurig Raymond.
"I urge all retailers to consider seriously the results of our survey which show that mixing imported product with British product under the same fictional farm name can be misleading to many of their customers."
According to a survey by YouGov by the NFU, more than three in five of those who believe the produce is likely to be British would feel misled if it was not the case.
Read more: Going, going, gone: Harris and Hoole sale marks end of Tesco ambitions
Raymond said Aldi has agreed to source its "fake" farm brand produce only from the UK by the end of March next year.
The union is calling on Trading Standards for clearer guidelines for supermarkets on the clarity of origin labelling.