asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether a sausage made in England of pork imported from Denmark may be described as English; and [HL1193]Whether rashers of bacon cut and packed in England from a side of bacon imported from Denmark may be described as English; and [HL1194]Whether a pastie made in Devon from imported lamb may be described as either Cornish or English; and [HL1195]Whether a sausage made in England of beef imported from Germany may be described as English. [HL1192]

Government guidelines issued last year make clear that if the place of origin of a food is not the same as the place of origin of its ingredients, additional information may need to be provided on the label to avoid misleading consumers. Failure to do this may result in contravention of existing legislation governing false and misleading labelling and presentation. The guidelines make clear in particular that products containing meat should not be described as "British" if they contain imported meat, but could be described as "made in Britain from" with either a specific (e.g. "German" or "Danish") or general (e.g. "imported") indication of the origin of the meat ingredients they contain.