Manufacturers respond to Co-op claims

We reported on Monday that the UK supermarket chain the Co-Operative Group has condemned the misleading labelling of foods claiming that foodmanufacturers are "hoodwinking" consumers. Today the UK Food and Drink Federation, the voice of the UK food and drink manufacturing industry, hotly denied the Co-op's accusations .

In a statement Martin Paterson, deputy director general said:"Any suggestion that food manufacturers set out to confuse or hoodwinkconsumers is plain wrong. UK food and drink manufacturers rely on theloyalty and trust of their customers and in no way set out to mislead.​

"If a consumer feels that they are being duped, they will not buy that productagain. Industry agrees that marketing claims and labelling should betruthful and not misleading. The 1990 Food Safety Act already protectsconsumers from claims that fail this test.​

"Manufacturers do have to try to get across as much information as ispractical in what can sometimes be a very small space. Some manufacturershave produced lower fat versions of their standard products to meetconsumer demand. These are not marketed as 'diet products' but in factprovide consumers with a wider variety of foods from which to make informeddietary choices,"​ he added.

"Food law and labelling is a very complex area and consumer education isthe key to improving understanding. The food industry is already workingwith the Food Standards Agency to improve food labelling as part of theAgency's Food Labelling Action Plan."​

The labelling of foods appears to be a hotbed of divergent views. As food processing becomes more complex it is inevitable that the food labelling issue is ever more pertinent.