This week Walls have admitted to the Sunday Telegraph that at least half its meat is sourced from pig farms outside the UK. This other meat comes from Denmark, Holland and Germany. However, the labels on its “Lincolnshire ” and “Cumberland” sausages do not set out the foreign origin of the meat.
In their defence, Walls say that the use of the term “Lincolnshire” sausages refers to a traditional recipe, rather than the place from where the meat is sourced. They say that they source as much meat as they can from the UK, and merely complement that with supplies from audited producers in Europe.
Walls sausages are marketed as a distinctly British brand. However, meat from abroad can be significantly cheaper to produce than meat from the UK, and legally, Walls are not required to label their products to indicate that some of its meat content comes from abroad. Indeed, so long as the product is actually manufactured in the UK, it can at present bear the wording “British Made.”
Do you think this is good enough or should manufacturers and retailers be required to explain EXACTLY where the ingredients of products come from – or maybe it’s all a load of old Hogwash?