Following discussions with NFU Scotland, Tesco has announced positive steps to address the problem of co-mingling.

NFU Scotland members have recently highlighted problems in which meat from different countries of origin was being displayed under the Saltire flag. This was happening at a number of different retailers. NFUS believes that this practice misleads and confuses consumers.

In response to member concerns, NFUS met with senior staff at Tesco. Tesco explained the current range of Scottish produce already available and shared plans to extend this range further. In addition, it outlined a recently introduced signage package which is used to highlight Scottish produce to consumers. In particular, Tesco will now add additional messages to encourage customers to look for the Saltire flag on individual packs and at the shelf edge to easily identify Scottish products.

James Withers, NFUS Deputy Chief Executive said:

“This is a helpful step forward from Tesco and one which should reduce some of the current confusion surrounding co-mingling.

“It has become clear to us over recent months and years that consumers are keen to support Scottish produce and it is extremely positive that Tesco is recognising this and increasing its number of Scottish lines and suppliers in response.

“However, it is not always easy for consumers visiting any of the major retailers to clearly distinguish Scottish produce because of some lack of clarity with signage and labelling. Therefore, the attempts from Tesco to inject some clarity are welcome.

“We will obviously be keeping a watching brief and would ask our members to do the same. Their efforts have been hugely important in raising awareness of this issue. We must now ensure that all labelling is clear, accurate and well placed. We also want others retailers to now follow Tesco’s lead. The co-mingling issue will only go away when every retailer clarifies its labelling to the extent that there can be no confusion.”

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