Vicky Ford with Meurig Raymond deputy president of the National Farmers Union

NEW food labels will be appearing in shops and supermarkets following a vote in the European Parliament.

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Fresh meat products will need to show in which country the animal was reared and slaughtered. Nutritional information on fat, sugar, salt and saturates will have to be put on the back of all food products.

Conservative MEP for the East of England Vicky Ford said: ”It is completely unacceptable that a frozen carcass can be flown into the UK, chopped up and packaged and then stamped with a Union Jack.

“I have supported the Honest Food Campaign for better country of origin labelling for many years.

“The good news is that labels on fresh meat and products like unprocessed hams and bacon will now not be able to mislead the shopper.

“However if the product contains less than 50 per cent of any single meat then the new rules do not apply.

“This means that a traditional pork pie could still be labelled as British even if the pig in question had never set down a single trotter on our soil.

“Producers, suppliers and retailers will be given about two years to comply with the new legislation and during that time we will looking at the costs and benefits of bringing more processed products into the rules.

“In the meantime if you want to buy meat products that you know come from animals reared and raised on British land, to our own UK standards, you should look out for the Jolly Red Tractor label.”