Are food labels telling us porkies?

Do you always check where the meat you buy comes from? As a nation we are more aware than ever of the need to know where your food has come from – both to support our local farmers and to ensure that the meat we feed our families has been raised to the proper animal welfare standards. But can we always assume that meat labelled as ‘British’ is both reared and produced in the UK?

While we would all think that only products that contain 100% British meat should be labelled as “British” - this is not always the case. When looking at pork as an example, currently products such as pork pies or bacon that are produced or packed in the UK using imported meat can still be labelled as ‘British’ or ‘UK’ produce. Due to the difference in animal welfare standards between Britain and abroad, it is estimated that around 70% of the imported meat would not meet minimal legal requirements for animal welfare here in the UK.

Most of us agree that the current labelling system is incredibly misleading for shoppers. But what can we do to ensure we know where the meat we buy is from and how it has been reared? Lucky for us we have TV presenter, This Morning’s Ruth Langsford, at hand to offer her expert advice on what to look for when buying meat and meat produce.

Whether you are preparing a Sunday roast for the whole family, a full English breakfast or putting sausage rolls in the children’s lunchboxes, Ruth has some top advice on how to read food labels to make sure you buy the finest quality meat. Send your questions in now and log on to our WebTV show to find out more.

Ruth Langsford will be live online at webchats.tv/chat/no_more_porkies on 23rd June at 3pm to discuss British pork and labelling.

To submit questions before the chat visit webchats.tv.

For more information visit pigsareworthit.com.