Food Origin Labelling to Help Informed Choice

That the Parliament acknowledges the conclusions of a widespread consumer survey, conducted on behalf of National Farmers Union (NFU) Scotland, that "the current regulations, policy, and practice in relation to labelling of food products sold across the UK is confusing, vague and often misleading, creating a complete lack of transparency for consumers"; calls on governments, with support from retailers, to do more to tackle a food labelling system that it considers drives confusion and poor transparency regarding the origin of produce; understands that, as part of the findings, six in 10 consumers (59% across the UK and 62% in Scotland) said that country of origin was important, with only 41% of consumers in Scotland feeling that they know either a lot or a fair amount about where their food was grown and produced; recognises the survey's finding that only 57% of consumers in Scotland think that it is usually clear which country the food they buy comes from, and that only 49% think that information about the country of origin on display is adequate; accepts the findings that an estimated 66% of consumers in Scotland believe that a primary benefit to purchasing local foods is that it supports the local economy, with 50% believing that a primary benefit of this is preserving farming communities, with a significant 78% of consumers in Scotland being willing to spend more on local food; appreciates that consumers across the country are, it considers, supportive of local food producers, and believes, therefore, that there is a demand for greater transparency on food origin labelling to help informed choice.