UK: Heinz threatened with boycott over 'farmers market' label

Heinz officials are to meet farmers’ market representatives who are urging a boycott of one of the company’s soup brands.

The National Farmers’ Retail & Markets Association (Farma) is calling on shoppers not to buy the Heinz “Farmers’ Market” range of soups.

It accuses the firm of “misusing” the term farmers’ market, saying the soups are not made with locally sourced ingredients and do not support local producers.

Farma’s comments follow an Early Day Motion tabled in the House of Commons last week by Stroud MP David Drew which said Heinz had “upset” the farmers’ market movement.

The firm’s Farmers’ Market brand: “...makes no attempt to source its materials through farmers’ markets and is, at best, causing confusion on what ingredients are contained within those soups let alone whether they would be capable of meeting the stringent standards that farmers’ markets have to meet,” the EDM says.

Gareth Jones, spokesman for Farma which represents more than 200 farmers’ markets, said Heinz had requested a meeting to discuss the issue.

He said: “These products do not represent local food. They do not represent small-scale production or the local food economy.”

Mr Jones urged shoppers to boycott the soups, saying: “The best thing to do is to show they are not supporting Heinz taking the term ’farmers’ market’ and misusing it.”

Heinz spokesman Nigel Dickie said the firm’s UK-made Farmers’ Market soups were “inspired by” farmers’ markets and were very popular with customers.

“Heinz is very supportive of British farming and farm produce and we buy vast quantities of home grown ingredients for some of our most popular varieties,” he said.

“We are meeting the National Farmers’ Retail and Markets Association early next week to explore a number of sourcing opportunities. We look forward to developing a good relationship with them.”