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WE BUY FOOD that can come from anywhere in the world.
But sometimes, we might not realise exactly where it comes from. A Meath meat company was recently fined for falsely declaring meat from Poland, Lithuania and Germany was from Ireland.
The case underscored the importance of correct labelling on food products, in order for customers to know what they are eating.
But do you check where your food comes from – or do you just choose the product regardless?
Today we’re asking: Do you check what country the food you buy comes from?
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Some companies make it very difficult to see where they source the food. Just look at the packaging. “Produced in Ireland” is misleading as fish could be sourced in South America etc and packaged in Ireland.
@CedarFalls This is the problem in a nutshell, my son has a special diet so I tend to check everything, more so the ingredients than where they’re made, but if something says it contains A, B and C and was made in country D you can only take their word for it. You assume once they have stated it in black and white they may mislead, this is somewhat accepted here, but an outright lie would invite mass lawsuits.
We need to clear up any misleading statements in the area of food products, the idea that a product can be just labelled or packaged here and that’s sufficient to get a label saying ‘Product of Ireland’ or some such thing, it’s country of origin should be clearly labelled and not the country it was packaged in.
Surely multiculturalists have no problem with foreign food that is labelled as New Irish, what’s the difference, it’s all the same they say. We are all the same.
All the supermarket are guilty of this, more money spent on smart marketing that caring what they sell.
Ian Dempsey advertising “fresh hake fillets” last week, what he should be advertising is frozen and defrosted hake from South Africa…
Antibiotic laced Chilean salmon with an Irish flag or two on it, only meant to fool the customer….
Most customers haven’t a clue where what they’re buying comes from and these supermarket sure and going to put it anywhere clear for them to see.
I try to buy locally produced food products, as it is more sustainable, but sometimes you assume they are made in Ireland when – like Cully & Sully – they have in fact moved their manufacturing to another country. If you look on the packaging there should be a small oval symbol that has the country of origin in it – eg IE or UK.
It’s so sad to bring anti-immigrant sentiment into everything – I hope our future has more love and less hatred.
That’s an EU plant number.
It’s not always guaranteed that’s the origin of the product, only the factory in Ireland it’s passed through and packed usually…
Most people don’t have the time, so it should be in bigger print under the name of product.
I never buy anything from Israel and never buy beef from south america or wine from chile.
I’m sure the Israeli economy is reeling from your boycott Seamus. I just had another check of the article and there is no option in the poll for not buying Israeli goods.
But don’t let that stop you from having a poke.
It’s a boycott that is take place by millions around the world and is having an impact.
Im not alone John so Im sure their economy is damaged by our boycott. Its not just an irish boycott of Israel. Its happening world wide.
Well that’s your loss, you’re missing some fine Argentinian steak…
I can understand your issue with Israeli products and South American beef, but can I ask what’s the problem with Chilean wine?
I never buy from Israel either. Partial to the Chilean wine though – what’s the problem with that?
And what are you hoping to achieve Seamus? Apart from damaging Israeli business, thus putting people out of work, I doubt you’ll influence government policy.
Can you not see the vindictiveness of what you are doing?
Me too Seamus… NOTHING from Israel…
Likewise..
I just object to the air miles from Chile plus i prefer french wine. Also throw in Californian and Australian wine too just for balance. Theyve high air mileage too.
This is really getting to you John isnt it.
Not really Seamus, I’ve said my piece, now off to enjoy Father’s Day. Have a good one.
Me neither Seamus,the BDS campaign has been a massive success,here’s a list of products we should all boycott http://bdslist.org
Would you be happy supporting the products that are produced in the areas that harbour the Palestinian terrorists that attack Israel ?
Freedom fighters Larry,they’re freedom fighters.
Snap Seamus
Larry. What products are the ‘terrorists’ spending their days making and exporting?
I wouldn’t have a problem buying goods from Palestine but I don’t have much need for rocket launchers or human shields.
Same could be said about Israel Keano, I have no need for cluster bombs or helicopter gunships.
‘Freedom fighters’…. Lol
There is no state called is real. Its called Occupied Palestine. By the way you know what they do to food they do to the food there. It usuallyvtreated and is sometimes years old before it is sold.
Me too Seamus. I willl not knowingly buy anything from Israel due to their Governments policy in Palestine.
That’s right Brendan, there is no place called is real.
Ditto. I never buy anything from Israel. It is a classical boycott.
Thanks for the list tariq, I know what to buy now. P.S. I hope you’re not using a mobile device as they ALL use Israeli technology http://m.jpost.com/Blogs/Just-Look-At-Us-Now/Boycotting-Israel-Just-Do-It-Part-1-367177#article=0QzA1QkZERjNBOEIxQThENjdDNkFDMDE2NTFFNjQ1QjA=
Don’t think I’ve ever seen those products never mind buy them
Always check. Once you know the difference between “produce of ireland” and “produced in ireland”, you’re sorted.
The rest is just personal choice – there’s nothing wrong with cheaper imported food necessarily, only when it’s misleading/masquerading as being home-grown.
What’s the difference Paddy.. Which is actually local to this country so I know for the future. Thanks..
and “Smoked Irish Salmon” as distinct from “Irish Smoked Salmon”
Produced in Ireland it should have a little black and white oval symbol that has the letters IE, a number, and then probably EC.
I make sure to avoid Israeli produce. Also seabass as they are intensively farmed and come from Greece. I also think it is good to support produce of local origin where possible..
What’s the problem with Israeli produce?
Why should we avoid Israeli products Chris? Punish the people for government policy?? In that case, shouldn’t we boycott Irish produce until they change the 8th Amendment or give minority rights to travellers?
It’s all about perspectives, at least two sides to every issue.
John Payne, I take it then that you would agree that the decades long American embargo/boycott on Cuba was equally wrong?
Actually I do Andrew, as it shows some American hypocrisy, just because Cuba is on their doorstep.
I see what you’re saying John – but in the absence of action by governments against Israel’s lamentable land grabbing and murder, this is the slightly blunt option available.
I understand why people are doing it Martin, and I agree that there is very little, if any, International pressure. However, I feel that targeting the people will only strengthen their support for the government as it will be perceived as a World v. Israel situation.
Personally, I don’t agree with boycotting their goods, and I would love to see who the main driving forces are behind the campaign, and who backs them…
Interestingly enough Palestine’s biggest export is Building Stone.
Too much irony.
John the people elect the govt of Israel so BDS is appropriate
Another interesting fact.
During the last five years the imports of Israel have increased at an annualized rate of 6.8%, from $45.1B in 2009 to $62.7B in 2014.
**BOYCOTT-NOT-WORKING**
Israeli companies are now grabbing land from Palestinians and building subsidiaries on them and then putting ‘produced in palestine’ on their products. Also theyre planting large vineyards and orchards on palestinian land with the same labelling. Some of them employ back the palestinian land owners at slave labour rates.
Wrong stat.
EXPORTS, that’s the one.
During the last five years the exports of Israel have increased at an annualized rate of 5.8%, from $40.5B in 2009 to $53.7B in 2014.
Those figures are out of date,irrelevant data.
Yes adam. Exported from Palestine by Israeli companies
Totally up to date actually.
China, Germany, Switzerland and of course the USA.
Big importers of Israeli goods.
@Chris
Don’t eat fish full stop. It’s fundamentally unsustainable.
For me it’s not just about where the food comes from but also what’s in it. So much of our food these days is tainted with additives such as MSG (disguised as Yeast Extract most of the time) and Aspartame and the like. My husband gets killer migraines every time he eats MSG. Tayto crisps used to be my favourite until I found that EVERY variety they make is laced with MSG. The Clonakilty range of breakfast deliciousness? Pure poison with the Yeast Extract/MSG crap. (Yeast extract is natural in some forms, however MSG can be listed as Yeast Extract if it is less than 76% MSG, that’s still a lot of MsG). I would like to see more control over additives, and clearer labelling. We are what we eat!
Hi Kate, what should I be looking for at the back of the packet for MSG? Thanks!
It would be great if food labelling protected consumers. When it became common knowledge that aspartame was awful they were allowed to change the name to amino sweet. Labels are not designed so that we can understand what we’re consuming.
Hi Lucille,
We avoid anything labelled with: MSG, Yeast Extract, E621-E625 ‘flavour enhancers’, Sulphites, or general terms like Flavour Enhancers or Spices without specifics. There are a few really handy apps you can download, just look for ‘E Numbers’ and you can actually find out all about the additives, and their positives or negatives, who should avoid them (like ‘hyperactive children’). Most food ingredients have an E number, it doesn’t mean they’re all bad. It’s just important to know which ones to avoid. Also food labelling lists the most prominent ingredients first, the further down the list of ingredients the less there is of a substance.
We were in a shop yesterday with a literal wall of crisps, and every one of them had yeast extract with only a few manufacturers daring to list MSG. We know from experience that if my husband had any of these he’d get a migraine within 20 minutes. There hasn’t been any conclusive scientific proof that says MSG is bad for human consumption, but I know since I’ve cut it out I really notice the difference in myself when I accidentally eat it (I’ve never gotten migraines myself though). It just makes me feel crappy. It’s worth trying to avoid it for a while and see how you feel!
By the way we’re not in any way obsessive about our food, other than we love it and cook lots. It just takes a bit of investigation and then you know what’s safe. (By the way all Knorr products are out, and almost all stock cubes and gravys (bistro original powder is safe), so it can take a bit of effort initially to adjust to remove these. But if you can make your own stock at least once you’ll never go back to the blocks of crap!)
Can somebody explain what exactly is wrong with MSG ?
It’s a fairly recent additive to the human food chain (‘discovered’ around 1900 in Japan), and really took off with food canning in the 20th century. It basically makes poor quality food taste better, or ‘enhances’ food flavour. There have been a few studies into MsG and its anecdotal effects (a quick google search will help) and the results have not shown a major reason to not use MsG. However as far as I have found all the studies have been undertaken by the food industry or heavily subsidised by the food industry. It may not adversely effect you, but some people take a very strong reaction to it, like migraines, others generally just feel a bit grotty after eating an msg heavy meal. Quite often people don’t realise how it effects them until they clear it out of their diet and then gradually reintroduce it. The thing that gets me is how much of it and other flavour enhancers are in our food options, and many are unaware.
I think it’s like many other ingredients that effect different people in different ways. People talk about it like its the worst thing you can eat but as far as I can see it’s a flavour enhancer which isn’t such a bad thing. I often add it to stir fries or soups as I like things to taste better.
Just like other ingredients some people are sensitive to, with painful side effects, such as lactose intolerance, celiac etc proper labelling let’s people chose for themselves. Disguising MsG as Yeast Extract, and using phrases like ‘no added MSG’ but yeast extract still a prominent ingredient is misinformation making it harder for people to opt out.
Thanks a lot! Much appreciated!
I refuse to buy non-Irish meat.
I’d prefer a wider number of fruit and veg to be grown here, we can grow at lot more we do; I rarely see Irish tomatoes or peppers here, but we can grow them fine in a greenhouse.
Ariana we do grow limited amounts of these products but they are then snapped up by tesco or supervalu.
They import dutch crap which is months even years old. Ask them to import Turkish otr Greek tomatoes
And seevthe difference.
@ariana you can get Irish tomatoes in a vegetable shop I think Dunne’s stock them also.
Price first and I’d guess a lot of people do the same
Second that Kieran, I think that for many items the choice is price driven but there may be some brand loyalty as well.
Nope. We have to have some morals in life. And if you are saying most can’t afford it, consider that the percentage of our income we spend on food has plummeted over decades. We expect to have something for a ridiculous price that can only be achieved with the squeezing of farmers, slave wages of workers and extreme abuse of animals. It’s a choice I guess we all make freely.
Oh yes, and environmental degradation and pollution.
Yes I’d never purchase anything from Israel
Why?
Me neither – because they are a brutal regime.
And do you boycott Russian, Chinese, and other Middle East countries goods too?
Due to their ongoing occupation of Gaza and their inhumane treatment of the people of Palestine
Yes I do actually. I also don’t buy American products. I only buy local and Irish
I smell bullplop. I hope you aren’t typing this out on your phone, otherwise the boycott has gone tits up.
am using a phone purchased from An post. Dora phone
What’s the difference between “sometimes” and “some items but not all of them”?
Hi! Some people might occasionally check while doing a shop – I’d put that as ‘sometimes’.
Some people might only check, say, their meat or their veg, but do that always. I’d put that under ‘some items but not all of them’.
The sight of the union jack usually some off but I think sellers realise this.
Tesco don’t….their lack of cultural understanding confounds me after all this time.
I never buy anything from Palestine.
‘Ethical stance’
Irish produce first priority always.
Yes as a supporter of the BDS movement to help Palestine.
‘We’re all Hezbollah now’
Israel kills far more people than they did. Hezbollah only started because Israel invaded Lebanon.
Would it make any difference with Supermarkets making that decision for us most of the time? Say you need carrots for the dinner and the only ones they have are from Narnia. You’re still going to buy them. Either that or go driving about the place looking for other ones.
Tweed you could pick the local broccoli instead and stick to your principles.
True Stephen but the reality for most shoppers is money talks and bullsh!t walks. That’s why supermarkets spend millions on promoting their own name before any food. Win the trust and the drones will spend.
Good point well made Tweed. I stopped shopping in the big supermarkets years ago. Their produce is badly treated and the quality and taste suffers. You know it’s bad when you can’t taste carrot from a raw carrot. I am lucky to have a small independent supermarket near me. It is a little more expensive but the difference in meat and fresh produce quality is well worth it.
Going to a farmers market is a good idea.
What ever happened to buying Irish…..
Apart from the knuckle draggers that would boycott Israeli produce, I doubt most people care about where stuff comes from as long as it’s cheap.
Eat much spam?
Keane judging from your red thumb count I think you are way off.
So Keano, ironic to see you are pro life but see no problem putting poisonous and dangerous chemicals into your own and your children’s bodies.
Always examine labels all over, also have a list of Monsanto run companies handy at all time so know ro stay away, it was hard at first to realise likes of Cadbury and helmens were Monsanto owned along with so many other brand names I grew up with, but there are far better companies out there to be buying from…..and usually cost same or less.
I check in case the product originates in the apartheid state which is Israel We must support Boycott, Divestments and Sanctions (BDS)
Apartheid state. Lol. Is that the same Israel that has free and fair elections and a parliament full of Arabs? Its fu¢kwits like you that make Israeli exports so successful.
There wouldn’t be much choice in fruit if we didn’t buy food from abroad. In my fridge I have melons, leeks and bananas from Spain, grapes from Egypt, oranges from South Africa. We usually drink New Zealand and Australian wines.
Chris a lot of that has to do with growing seasons. We have become accustomed to having say strawberries at Christmas. It doesn’t matter to most that they were flown half way around the world and taste awful.
Very true Stephen, however there are a lot of Irish vegetables grown these days in poly-tunnels. We import far to much stuff which could be produced at home if people put their minds to it. We need to get back to the idea of co-operatives so that local produce can be marketted better.
Many restaurants prefer home grown produce.
Good point Chris. Poly tunnels only extend the season. For all year round you would need a heated green house. That is expensive and would I think make the produce excessively expensive and most would switch to the imports to save cash.
Depends if we care about our grandchildren and future generations. If we do, we will not support this ridiculous flying of oranges from South Africa and other practices that will change the climate disastrously for future generations.
I check to make sure it is not from a evil state which calls itself Israel. There is no state of that name.
Same as that. Best to support BDS, a democratic non-violent way of opposing the occupation of Palestine.
I always check that I’m not buying anything from Israel. I suppose that I should do the same for Chinese goods as I also support Tibetan independence!
Whatever happened to the”Buy Irish” campaigns of past times?
I never buy from Israel.. and no I am not antisemitic just don’t agree with their persecution of the Palestinians.
If its a produce of Israel I wont buy it due to their inhumane treatment of the Palestinian people….
What difference does it make if the food you bought was made was made or produced in Ireland considering that Ireland exports most of its own produce and products to other countries, thus relying on other countries buying foreign foods and by doing so supporting Irish Farmers, Factories and other job(in. Apple’s based for Europe is based in ireland and all support and other technical calls made in Europe are answered by someone here in Ireland, even the foreign language one’s )
Continuation: So I really don’t see,why so many people are so hung up on buying Irish products only and get their panties in a twist when there isn’t an Irish version of a particular food available or they find out that their favourite Irish product has been produced in Belgium, Germany or the UK for years without them realising them (but most likely with exported Irish flour,butter, potatoes, fruit etc
Maybe because all this unneccessary movement of food is costing the planet dearly in terms of carbon emissions and catapulting us towards a planet that will not be able to support our future generations.
I buy my shopping in aldi so it could be any country I guess lol
Won’t support any products that are from China.
If the label says Nuts from North Korea I give them a miss. They could be discarded screws from a missile. If the packet says Dates from Timbucktoo I look to see if they are veiled or not. I prefer Dates from Russia, especially if they have engineering degrees.
Should’ve put a ‘puts’ into that….ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggggggggggggggg ;(((((((…I feel a little better now.
Yes always, as well as the ingredients…
Packed in Ireland versus produced in Ireland. “Irish” Cheddar Cheese but with a UK stamp on the back of the pack. Also “Irish” milk packed in Ireland but UK stamp on the back. I have no issue with foreign produce but not what we produce.
I boycott all Israeli goods because of their illegal occupation of Palestine and their daily attacks on the Palestinian people. So I check to make sure the barcode does not start with 729!
I boycott all Israeli goods because of their illegal occupation of Palestine and daily acts of terrorism on the Palestinian people. So I check that the barcode doesn’t start with 729!
have your say