1. Country of origin details should be provided for all dishes on the menu where the major prominent ingredient is meat based. The term ‘meat’ in this context includes red meat, poultry and offal (see appendix for further clarification).
2. Information on the origin of the meat should be made available to consumers when they are choosing their food, either on the menu or clearly displayed on a poster, chalk board or other point-of-sale material. Posting the information on a website is not sufficient.
3. The term ‘origin’ in this context, refers to where the animal has spent the majority of its life. Where appropriate, more than one country may be specified (for example where meats of different origins are used or where an animal has spent approximately equal parts of its life in two countries – see also 5 and 6 below). All reputable suppliers should be able to provide origin traceability documentation.
4. Caterers may wish to provide reference to the specific region (e.g. Cornish lamb, Yorkshire-reared beef), or even the farm that the animal came from. At the very least, the country of origin must be specified. (Broad terms such as ‘continental’ would be considered too vague to provide clear information to the consumer). It is advisable to have detailed information available to staff to enable them to answer specific queries from customers.
5. Caterers buying meat from more than one country should simply indicate their sourcing policy with a short explanation on the menu. For example: ‘We source our meat from around the world (Britain, Ireland, New Zealand and Argentina) to ensure we serve you with high quality meals at affordable prices’ or ‘The meat served in this restaurant is of UK origin except where otherwise stated’.
6. If it is the case that the origin of meat supplied will change before the menu is renewed, this should also be indicated, for example: ‘The meat served in this restaurant is selected according to seasonal availability. Lamb is from Wales or New Zealand, unless otherwise stated.’
7. If reference to the breed is included on the menu, this should still be supported with country of origin details. (Some consumers, and caterers, make the assumption that Aberdeen Angus beef is Scottish. While it may be from Scotland, it could also have originated from many other countries, including Argentina, Brazil, England or Ireland.)
8. Brand names implying origin of meat on the menu should also be clarified with origin details for example: ’Lakeland Beef’ from Cumbria.
Appendix
The Definition of Foodservice: Any establishment selling prepared food (which is not labeled when provided to the purchaser) intended to be eaten either on or off the premises.
The European Union has introduced a generic definition of ‘meat’ as skeletal muscles of mammalian and bird species recognised as fit for human consumption with naturally included or adherent tissue, where the total fat and connective tissue content does not exceed specified values. While this definition excludes most head meat (including tongue), mechanically recovered meat, tail meat and all offal (including heart, liver and kidney), the Best Practice Guidelines apply to dishes containing any of these ingredients.
The Food Safety Act 1990 prohibits the labelling or advertising of food in ways which describe it falsely or which are likely to mislead the purchaser about its ‘nature, substance or quality’.
This means that when origin transparency is applied to menus, the origin information must be accurate and presented in a way which does not mislead consumers. Origin should be given for all meat dishes on sale, as failure to provide that information for some meals might mislead.
The Food Labelling Regulations 1996 require food ready for delivery to the ultimate consumer or to catering establishments to be marked or labelled with the place of origin of the food if failure to do so might mislead a purchaser as to the true origin.
For further information on any aspect of labelling the origin of meat, please feel free to contact us.
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