New campaign highlights supermarket practice that ’hoodwinks consumers’ and hurts smaller producers
Organic grower and veg box company Riverford, led by founder and grower Guy Singh-Watson, has teamed up with a group of British farmers to launch a new fairness in the supply chain campaign.
Called “Farmers Against Farmwashing”, the campaign aims to expose the UK supermarket practice of using ’fake’ British farm brands emblazoned with the Union Jack as a marketing tool to sell food.
The campaign features a four-part ’docu-series’ in which it says ’farmwashing’ gives shoppers the false impression that these products come from “quaint British family farms”, when in fact they are sourced from large-scale producers or from overseas.
Farmwashing hurts growers
Riverford says these practices are misleading shoppers and making it harder for genuine small farmers to compete.
The campaign is calling for transparency in supermarket sourcing and fair support for Britain’s farmers.
The launch of the campaign is supported by an open letter addressed to the CEOs of major supermarkets.
It calls for an end to the practice of farmwashing and asks supermarkets to honour their promises of supporting British farmers with better buying practices, especially the smaller-scale family farms that are struggling to survive.
Leading figures back campaign
The open letter has been signed by more than 100 leading figures and counting. The signatories include Cat Smith MP, Jimmy Doherty, Rick Stein, William Chase, Ben Goldsmith, David Chadwick MP, and Ben Lake MP, as well as industry bodies such as Sustain, FFCC, and Soil Association.
Commenting on the campaign launch, Singh-Watson said: “British farming is at a breaking point. The public cares deeply about where their food comes from, the supermarkets know this, and they are using that trust to steal farmer stories and to hoodwink shoppers into thinking they are buying from those small-scale, traditional British farms.
“Yet the reality is that these farms are being pushed to the brink. Is this the future we want for our food system and our countryside?”
Riverford research found that two thirds (60 per cent) of shoppers actively look for the Union Jack on products to support British farmers.
Farmers fear supermarket backlash
At the same time, Riverford’s research found that two thirds (67 per cent) of farmers feel under pressure from supermarkets, and 67 per cent said they live in fear of being delisted if they complain about supermarket buying behaviour.
Its survey also showed that 61 per cent of farmers are concerned they will have to give up their farms within the next 18 months.
Singh-Watson said: “Farmers are already struggling with weather extremes, labour shortages, and rising costs. While supermarkets claim to support British farming, they fail to back it up with their buying practices.
“Supermarkets must stop exploiting farmers and start supporting them. If we want a future where our food system is resilient, our landscapes are preserved, and our farmers are treated fairly, we need more honesty and decency in the supply chain.
“The British public has shown they care and would pay a little more if they knew it supported better farming. It’s time supermarkets and the government listened.”
Responding on behalf of major supermarkets to the Farmers against Farmwashing campaign, Andrew Opie, director of food & sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, said: “Supermarkets are always keen to promote British farming and follow the strict legislation on the labelling of food, including the use of flags. In fact, they pushed the government to tighten these rules earlier this year. Retailers create new farm brands for some of their own-label goods in order to help consumers find the quality goods they are looking for.”
