A new online supermarket food sourcing guide has been launched by the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) in the UK. The purpose of this brand new document is to make shoppers aware where their food has come from. Not only that, but it will provide an insight into the retailers “backing” British farmers by sourcing home-grown produce. The NFU’s new Supermarket Sourcing Guide has come at the right time. First, it was revealed that 162 food producers went out of business last year – a direct result of the fierce supermarket price war that’s raging in the UK at the moment. And second, Tesco has been criticised after it launched 76 product lines with fictional farm names.

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Food Sourcing Guide: Necessary Or Not?

NFU chief food chain advisor Ruth Mason revealed that transparency was at the heart of the new Supermarket Sourcing Guide guide: “If consumers know who is sourcing from British farmers and growers, it allows them to make an informed choice about which retailers they then want to buy from.” The new food sourcing guide might well prove to be a nice, useful resource for some consumers when it comes to selecting fresh produce or choosing which retailer to shop with. But for companies in the retail business, how much of an impact will it have? Given the power of emotion in food marketing, the impact could be bigger than you may think. Of course, the criticism that Tesco has received over its fake farm names should give you an idea of how important the matter is. JP McMahon, a writer with the Irish Times and head chef/patron of Aniar restaurant in Galway, tweeted that Tesco’s fictional farms are “an insult to real farmers” – and it’s since been retweeted 1600 times. https://twitter.com/mistereatgalway/status/714509524946825216 At the centre of this issue is, as Ruth Mason stated, transparency. According to the Irish Times, a 158-page report was published by the Centre for Science in the Public Interest in the US in 2010 – it’s title? Food Labelling Chaos. The use of misleading labelling and fictitious names will only serve to confuse – and even anger – consumers. If you want to be transparent and clear about where your produce has come from, we believe we have excellent – and proven – solutions that’ll share that message. Our expertise working with the UK and Ireland’s foremost food producers and retailers has given us an in-depth insight into highly successful display and marketing strategies. Clear, effective branding custom-designed by our team is available to retailers and producers who want to reach consumers in an equally clear and effective way. It won’t matter if it’s point-of-sale, off-fixture or conventional display fixtures, you can talk to us and we’ll come up with the best way forward to reaching your customers.

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