MPs urge supermarkets to create ‘buy British’ option online
© Tim Scrivener Supermarkets have been urged to make it easier for online shoppers to buy British food by more than 100 MPs.
An open letter to retailers, signed by MPs from parties including the Conservatives, Labour and Plaid Cymru, said offering a “buy British” option would give customers greater power in their food choices and make eating seasonally more straightforward.
It has been backed by former Defra secretaries Theresa Villiers and Hilary Benn, as well as several members of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) select committee and the chairman of the Environmental Audit Committee, Philip Dunne.
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Chief executives of Asda, Aldi, Tesco, Morrisons, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Co-op and Ocado have all received a copy.
Conservative MP Dr Luke Evans, who wrote the letter and co-ordinated the signatories, said: “All I am asking for is a simple change – a one-stop online shop for all British food.
“Farmers in my community say the best way to support them is simple: buy British produce. Supermarkets are keen to support our food producers, but this easy signposting doesn’t currently exist for millions of people who do their food shop online.
“Buying British is good for local food producers, good for the environment and good for consumer choice. It’s a win all round.”
NFU president Minette Batters told Farmers Weekly it was “absolutely essential” that retailers listened to the call.
“We’ve been talking about this since Liz Truss was in power,” she said. “It’s a long time happening.”
Asked why supermarkets had not offered the option to date, she added: “I really don’t know. Every retailer I speak to, one thing they all say is there is growing demand for buying British.”