26/04/07
Following discussions with NFU Scotland, Tesco has announced positive
steps to address the problem of co-mingling.
NFU Scotland members have recently highlighted problems
in which meat from different countries of origin was being displayed
under the Saltire flag. This was happening at a number of different
retailers. NFUS believes that this practice misleads and confuses
consumers.
In response to member concerns, NFUS met with senior staff at Tesco. Tesco
explained the current range of Scottish produce already available and shared
plans to extend this range further. In addition, it outlined a recently
introduced signage package which is used to highlight Scottish produce to
consumers. In particular, Tesco will now add additional messages to encourage
customers to look for the Saltire flag on individual packs and at the shelf
edge to easily identify Scottish products.
James Withers, NFUS Deputy Chief Executive said:
“This is a helpful step forward from Tesco and one which should reduce
some of the current confusion surrounding co-mingling.
“It has become clear to us over recent months and years that consumers
are keen to support Scottish produce and it is extremely positive that Tesco
is recognising this and increasing its number of Scottish lines and suppliers
in response.
“However, it is not always easy for consumers visiting any of the
major retailers to clearly distinguish Scottish produce because of some
lack of clarity with signage and labelling. Therefore, the attempts from
Tesco to inject some clarity are welcome.
“We will obviously be keeping a watching brief and would ask our
members to do the same. Their efforts have been hugely important in raising
awareness of this issue. We must now ensure that all labelling is clear,
accurate and well placed. We also want others retailers to now follow Tesco’s
lead. The co-mingling issue will only go away when every retailer clarifies
its labelling to the extent that there can be no confusion.”
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