A few weeks ago with all the tariff hoo-ha I thought I'd look in my cupboards and see which food products I have that are U.S produced. (Just in case our government slapped tariffs on US produce in retaliation, although since then I've lost track of what tariffs everyone is paying as it has changed and then changed again, and food probably isn't involved anyway)
That made me realise just how vague some labelling is as many things just say 'Produced For Aldi/Morrisons' or wherever, with no country of origin . Some items say Non EU product and others just 'Packaged in UK'. A bag of mixed nuts says 'Produce of Many Countries'.
There was half a jar of cranberry sauce in the fridge which said cranberries come from US, Canada or Chile. Seems most dried fruit comes from Turkey. A tin of corned beef comes from Brazil. Canned Pineapple from the Philippines
Many things are British - butter, flour, sugar, milk and much of the meat I buy comes from a Suffolk village not far away. At the moment most ordinary veg is British but the 'hungry gap' is still to come. Apples will soon be coming from New Zealand as our own stored apples come to an end until September.
Interesting but inconclusive.
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Very interesting. I wonder whether the present (and possible future) situation will increase the demand for less vague labelling.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised at the lack of detail on origin
DeleteYou've got me curious now. I need to look through my cupboards :)
ReplyDeleteIt would be good to know what you find
DeleteI shall check my cans and packets as I put them into the new cupboards. Currently they are in a box under the bed. I wonder how the choice of supermarket affects things: Asda is owned by US brand Walmart, Aldi and Lidl are German. Sainsbury's, Tesco, Morrisons and Waitrose are all British owned.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteWalmart holds 10% of Asda now. The Issa brothers, who hail from Blackburn, bought the rest in 2020. See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-54383131
DeleteInteresting. Our three supermarkets are Morrison, Lidl and Aldi. But as you point out many of what we buy comes from different countries. Nuts, cranberries, blueberries, etc. The trouble is we are punishing the wrong people. Those that are trying to make a living in America.
ReplyDeleteI've lost track of where we are with tariffs or not - things go up in price regardless
DeleteThat's really interesting. I have always assumed that the country of origin had to be indicated and that 'produced for X' labelling would be illegal. I've just Googled it and it seems that it doesn't cover all foods. The good news is that it does cover meat, so if a trade deal allows chlorinated meat to be sold here we should know about - unless it's in ready-meals etc, which is the most likely place that it would sneak in.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I forgot to add my name to my comment.
DeleteThank you for googling and finding out about the regulations. I'll definitely be avoiding meat from anywhere other than UK
DeleteI've got used to looking at origins on products now. Just last week I picked up a bag of flame raisins in Tesco - OH loves them - and noticed they were from the USA. I nearly put them back.
ReplyDeleteBoycotting produce from the USA may come at sometime when we know what's happening
DeleteInteresting. We would be hard-pressed to rely solely on British produced goods.
ReplyDeleteIt would be a limited diet - and it's fruit that I would miss most
DeleteI've just used a can of slice pineapples and no country of origin at all. Just Princes name and address and "packed from fresh". I am guessing nuts, and almonds especially. Sure there's lots more though.
ReplyDeletePacked from fresh - well that's good to hear anyway!!
DeleteThere's a jam we purchase, Bonne Maman, that comes from France. It hasn't increased in price yet that I know of but likely will. I also get crackers, brand name escapes me, that come from England.
ReplyDeleteBonne Maman must be available in so many places and yet only made in France which is unusual
DeleteUS labels do not always show place or origin. Nor is the list of contents comprehensive. Use of preservatives, food dyes, high amounts of salt and chlorine is common. British meat is a much healthier choice with no chlorine added.
ReplyDeleteLately, I notice lots of shrimp and some filets are coming in from Thailand. This seafood is available in the US, why import it?
In my opinion, cost is driving decisions and low cost is chosen over quality and wellness of the US population.
I will buy more and more at the local Farmer's market in the hopes of getting a better and healthier product.
I remember hearing that some fish products are caught here then sent abroad for processing before coming back to be sold here - very odd
DeleteThat is crazy how vague the labels are, you would think the manufactures would be required to list where their product comes from.
ReplyDeleteapparently not it seems
DeleteMost European vegetables come from Spain. Almeria is the polytunnel capital of Europe and most of our tomatoes come from there.
ReplyDeleteI've seen photos of the sea of polytunnels - frighteningly huge
DeleteIt's not straightforward; many 'Britush' brands are now USA owned, I think, but have factories over here. So if we boycott 'American ' companies we may find it's our own fellow countrymen who bear the consequences.
ReplyDeleteHeinz and Kellogg's of course, although they've been made here for a very long time so thought of as British made
DeleteI don't think I care where my food comes from. I mean, one place cannot produce all of the different kinds of food and I usually look at cost and ingredients. Do you know where all of the food comes from when you eat out or order in? It's getting so complicated and I often feel as if I should apologize for the awful administration in charge here but I never wanted any of them.
ReplyDeleteNo apology needed, we understand that many people don't agree with what is happened - hopefully we'll all survive the rest of the years
DeleteYou personally may not have items from the US but a quick Google search says: "Yes, England imports food from the United States. In 2022, the U.S. exported over $1 billion in food products to the UK. The UK heavily relies on food imports to meet consumer demand, particularly for items like fresh fruits and vegetables, processed foods, and specialty items. While the EU is the largest supplier of food to the UK, the U.S. is a significant player in the market, with potential for further growth in areas like healthy snacks, plant-based products, and innovative flavors. " Also in other types of products machinery and ''transport items"? are listed.
ReplyDeleteIt has become a real issue here in Canada as well due to tariffs and other considerations as regards the US govt. Our supermarkets are now labelling Canadian grown and produced with a maple leaf so they are easier to spot.
ReplyDeleteMuch more of our produce is now coming from South America, Europe and S. Africa and American produce is left on the shelf. It is tricky though and as you say - sometimes the contents of an item come from 1 or more different countries but the end product is produced in Canada (or UK) and if we boycott those items then we could put those people out of business.
That product labeling frustrates me too. I’d say the bulk of food purchased is from California. I buy local for meats and produce. I don’t understand why I have to pay more when the produce is a just down the road. I guess it has to do with the fact they are small farmers. Same with the beef.
ReplyDeleteAs for flour and such, I’ll have to pay more attention to where that comes from. If there is any good that comes from all of this, is that finally shoppers are becoming more aware of where their food actually comes from and local is always best!
I meant to say the bulk of what I purchase comes from California!
DeleteHow sad it is that my country has created such a muddled mess. Of course it is going to back fire on us...and well it should.
ReplyDeleteI thought for a minute I had written this! 70% of our country is horrified by our president and his foolish actions. It will end up costing us so much. Recession is almost guaranteed. I don't blame other countries for pulling back on buying from us. I am afraid we will end up losing our allies.
DeleteI am so glad that the products here have a maple leaf to let us know where our food is coming from. We get very little meat from the US and no chickens as they use lots of hormones and that is not allowed in Canada (they also wash the chickens in chlorine). The citrus we get does come from the US and while I have been trying to find oranges from another country in my small city it is difficult. I do miss a good orange.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Due to infirmity I rely on ready meals - not every day but I try to keep a few in the freezer. Then I found that the Indian meals that I like were made with Chickens from Thailand. Ugh! What conditions were they kept in and how many miles have they travelled to reach me in England?
ReplyDeleteWhere could I obtain meat that was kept in decent conditions and treated in a decent manner?
And the answer is WAITROSE. They are very concerned about the origins of their foodstuff. I am happy to pay more for my food. knowing these facts.
Free range animals are better quality, and worth the money; I can eat and enjoy with a clear conscience.
We are already seeing prices going up, thanks to our idiot of a president. So many of our foods come from elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteI reckon if food items were imported from here, they would be far too expensive for English supermarkets. As I've said before, the food prices here are ridiculous. Besides, food items in the US have far less regulations than those in the UK so I'm not sure they would even be able to be imported!
ReplyDeleteBeen doing the same thing. If it's not listed, I can often Google the product. Especially the stuff from Aldi. So little actually comes from the US. We'll flunk at self-sufficiency.
ReplyDeleteTesco really annoy me with all the Union Jack packaging then the small print says product of Guatemala
ReplyDeleteThis tariff issue has me really baffled. Who is actually winning here? For a very long time I have searched out produce from the UK but, of course, all the tinned fruit I buy is from overseas and I would really miss it. I didn't realise that so much tinned produce conceals it's origin. Maybe that is about to change?
ReplyDeleteAngie
I need to be much more aware of my origin part of food labelling, I do buy British as often as I can, and I am currently trying to eat much more seasonally. Having to read so much on the labels these days means that my reading glasses are off and on like yoyos during a shopping trip.
ReplyDeleteAs a Canadian I've not purchased US produce since February. It means doing without a few things, but Canadian producers have really stepped up. There are huge greenhouses producing lettuce, bell peppers, tomatoes, and other vegetables. I'll purchase from Spain, Morocco, Mexico, and elsewhere, but nothing from the US. And soon my garden will begin producing, too.
ReplyDeleteMeat is Canadian. I don't purchase ready-meals and those are the ones most likely to contain meat from other countries.
It's good for us to know where our food originates.