A British supermarket giant has been forced to change labels on its marinated lamb shanks after a customer spotted the lamb was from New Zealand.
Sharp-eyed customer Hilary Datchens said she was left feeling cheated after she saw the small print of the label as she was throwing
it away, the Daily Mail newspaper reported.
The label for the Tesco slow-cooked lamb shanks carried the word British in large white letters set against a scene of rolling green countryside.
The small print giving a description of "tender lamb shanks of marinated New Zealand lamb" was on the inside of the packaging.
It was not visible to shoppers looking at the product on the shelf because the outside sleeve only bore the word British.
New Zealand lamb is roughly half the price of British lamb and farmers' leaders have called for tighter rules on labelling to protect their industry.
Tesco said the meal was described as British to indicate the type of cuisine rather than the actual origins of the ingredients.
They have promised to change the labelling on the lamb shanks and apologised to the customer.
Ms Datchens, 57, from Padstow, Cornwall, said she was horrified to see the small print.
"I try to buy as much local produce as I can and I would not have bought it if I had known it was from New Zealand.
"I just feel they try every trick they can."
National Farmers Union South West director Melanie Hall said: "It is time that legislation was in place to support the home-supply base and stop supermarkets confusing customers."
Ms Hall said far clearer labelling was needed.
The Food Standards Agency in the UK is considering tightening existing labelling laws, which date from 2002.
- NZPA
