Complete and Utter Zebu

Kudos to Marks & Spencer for becoming the first major chain in the country to give the full facts about the origins of its diary produce, matching its policy on fresh fish and meat.

A couple of weeks ago The Sunday Telegraph, in its campaign for honest food labelling, revealed that more cheddar was now imported from Latvia than was made in the village of Cheddar, pointing out that consumers wouldn’t be able to tell this from the information given on the packaging.

M&S’s Director of Food, John Dixon, said: “Clear and honest labelling is at the heart of the M&S food business and we believe all our customers should be able to see at a glance where the food they buy from our stores has come from.” From January, new labels will be appearing on milk, butter, cheese, yoghurts, creme fraiche and ice-cream, explaining not just where things are made, but where the milk comes from too.

It still astonishes us that it is so easy to conceal the origins of the food we buy. Let us hope that M&S’s move will be matched by other chains in due course.