Food labelling loophole ‘deceiving’ consumers

CONSUMERS are being deceived because a loophole in labelling laws is being used to pass off meat from South America and Asia as Irish produce, Fine Gael’s Agriculture spokesman Denis Naughten has claimed.

Mr Naughten said a lack of “joined-up Government” and EU labelling laws means catering establishments are able to label food from other countries as Irish.

“Currently, beef from Brazil, lamb from New Zealand, chicken from Thailand and pork from Chile is being passed off as Irish, and due to the current labelling laws in this country there is nothing illegal about it,” he said.