The Food Ethics Council is part of the Consortium for Labelling for the Environment, Animal welfare and Regenerative farming (CLEAR), a wide ranging group of farming, food and civil society organisations calling for an honest, clear and simple labelling system that clearly identifies the farming method of production.
We do not believe that labelling on its own will solve the problems in current industrial food systems, as the onus should not be put entirely on us as individuals to ‘make the right choices’. However, we strongly support method of production labelling as a key part of the policy jigsaw. It is not just what we eat that matters, but also how any farmed animals are reared (and slaughtered) and how food is produced. We believe that brands should be able to share positive stories about the origins of the food, rather than the ‘wild west’ of claims and labels that currently exists. We encourage others to get involved and to support CLEAR.
“How our food is produced is at least as important as what and how much we eat. It’s vital that the public, as food citizens, are given greater transparency and better food options. If we want to accelerate the shift to food and farming that is fair for people, animals and the planet, method of production labelling as advocated by CLEAR is an important part of the jigsaw.”
CLEAR calls for “a system of mandatory food labelling for the United Kingdom which:
- functions as an overarching labelling system for all types of food, domestically produced and imported, and at all point of purchase
- includes information on the method of production – how the animals and plants have been grown, reared, and processed
- extends the country of origin labelling requirements to include all raw and processed foods
- establishes a set of regulated definitions of key terms relating to the ethical or sustainable method of production
- is based on consultation with key stakeholders. A commission with diverse interest and expertise should be established to work with the government to produce a roadmap with integrated implementation strategies”
“We want it to be mandatory for all food products to have such a label so everyone has the opportunity to make an informed decision. It is imperative that at this time of ecological emergency, people have the ability to make the right decisions for themselves and the planet without fear of being misled.”
See the C.L.E.A.R. website for more details.