Close-up on the meat we eat : consumers want honest labels

Consumers have no option but to rely on food labels to inform their purchasing decisions. They expect the label to accurately reflect the product’s content and quality. However, is the labelling of meat-based products telling consumers the truth? This is the overarching question that seven European consumer organisations have looked into from different angles. The results are now disclosed in the final part of BEUC’s ‘Can we trust our meat?’ campaign. Between April 2014 and August 2015, BEUC member organisations tested several types of meat-based foods to check their labels, ingredients and for the presence of undeclared or illegal food additives. Results showed a large number of discrepancies – and in some cases vast differences – between what the labels said and what the products were actually made of. The ambiguous, inaccurate, and even misleading labels identified in our members’ tests reveal the need for stricter enforcement of EU legislation to ensure that food information is clear and trustworthy. This report summarises key findings from our members’ tests and outlines BEUC’s policy recommendations for honest meat labels.