STORY: RBC reacts to Natasha’s Law

The Real Bread Campaign, which lobbies for full ingredient labelling of all loaves, has expressed delight that the UK government has announced a move towards this with Natasha’s Law, but frustration that it hasn’t gone further.

Defra announced today that all foods prepacked for direct sale will need to be labelled with full ingredients lists.

Real Bread Campaign co-ordinator Chris Young says: “We welcome this step in the right direction but we believe that the government are still dragging their collective feet in supporting people’s right to be able to make fully-informed choices about the loaves and sandwiches they buy. It’s infuriating that they only seem to take any action at all when forced by EU regulation or a tragedy.”

By applying to all foods, the new law extends further than the Real Bread Campaign’s call for full ingredient listing for loaves, sandwiches and the like. But it falls short of the Campaign’s call for full labelling of those sold unwrapped, still does not require food additives deemed to be ‘processing’ aids from appearing on labels of any food, and doesn’t touch upon marketing terms, such as freshly baked, wholegrain or sourdough.

Defra said that the new laws will come into force ‘by summer 2021.’ The Real Bread Campaign has asked Defra and the Food Standards Agency to confirm how ‘food prepacked for direct sale’ is being defined for the purpose of this new law – for example, whether or not it includes a loaf or sandwich put in an open paper bag at the place it is made and sold, or if the package needs to be sealed in some way.

The Campaign has also asked Defra and the FSA what guidance and support will be on offer to food SMEs to help them implement the changes.