Farmers Weekly have again discovered misleading imported meat labeled with “British Classic” this time in Aldi’s. This is at the very least misleading but with a lot of British consumers wanting to support British farmers and our own economy, this is a huge and seemingly deliberate misrepresentation. As these ready meal products, all have a clear “British Classic” label on the front of the packet but small text within the ingredients on the back stating they contain New Zealand lamb.

Another of Aldi’s ready meal products quite clearly displayed a British flag with the words “Produced in Britain” despite again hiding in small print on the reverse of the packet New Zealand lamb.

A spokesperson for Aldi proclaimed that the term “British Classic” was referring to the origin of the recipe, not the ingredients. This may work with the likes of the lamb hot pot or shepherd’s pie but in my opinion, there is a bigger argument with their Rogan Josh. This also seems to be a premeditated argument for a ridiculous scenario, I personally would expect to see clear labeling on the front, visible part of packaging so I can conveniently choose the products I want without studying the ingredients of every purchase.

Waitrose is also misleading their consumers and selling out British farmers with a ready meal line called “Waitrose British” which again contains New Zealand lamb. Waitrose use the same excuse that they were only referring to the origin of the recipe as opposed to the ingredients. After harsh criticism, they have declared that they will be rebranding the line in question to “Waitrose Classic.”

Still, I believe most British consumers know dishes that originate from Britain and instead of this unnecessary stating the obvious, would prefer to be accurately informed in a clear way the origin of the contents. So those that choose to support British farmers can do so without 5 hours in a supermarket thoroughly reviewing the small print on every package.