Read labels properly

Food labelling, packaging and marketing has long been a contentious issue.

Despite considerable advances, a lot remains to be done before consumers can be certain that branding and declarations of origin are as transparent as they need to be.

It is unfortunate that various foods produced abroad can be processed in Ireland and then labelled as Irish or sometimes sold under that vaguest of banners — “produce of the EU”.

Though producers and regulators could do a lot more to make it easier for consumers to understand what exactly they might consider buying, we must all accept that we are responsible for what we put in our shopping baskets and eventually eat.

Today this is more than a consumer issue, it is a jobs issue and in the run-up to Christmas a little bit of vigilance might create or save an Irish job.

The Latin phrase — caveat emptor — takes on a broader meaning in these circumstances.

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