By Adam Heppell
Two-thirds of customers would prefer to filter products by ‘British only’ when buying meat online, according to a new poll from YouGov.
The survey revealed that 64% of consumers expressed a preference for British-based produce and would like to see a filter for homegrown meats – a concept supported by the National Farmers Union (NFU).
Four in five adults also support the NFU’s call for country of origin labeling to be the same online as it is on shelves – lending weight to the industry association’s campaign for greater clarity on the issue.
President Meurig Raymond said: “We believe that it is good practice for retailers selling online to identify British products on the listing page with a British flag, which makes British products easily identifiable.
“The same information that is available to shoppers in store should be available online.
“The NFU is calling for a clear and honest country of origin labeling system in its manifesto for the General Election.”
According to retail analyst IGD, the value of online grocery sales hit £10.5bn in 2016 and could be set to increase to £17.6bn by 2020, which highlights the need for effective labelling, the NFU said.