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Following the results of the recent Irish Farmers Journal investigation which revealed the false labelling of potatoes in a number of outlets in the north west, IFA potato chairman Thomas McKeown said the findings once again highlight the problem of variety mislabelling which undermines the livelihoods of growers.
The chairman said that mislabelling regarding country of origin and variety was a constant problem and IFA has brought this matter to the attention of the DAFM on numerous occasions. Mr McKeown then called on the Department of Agriculture to thoroughly investigate this incident and to penalise those responsible.
The Bord Bia potato promotion campaign, which has been running for a number of years, has placed particular emphasis on the consumption of queen potatoes, “it is very disappointing to witness these fraudulent activities which mislead the consumer in relation to the variety”, they said.
Thomas McKeown has also called on the Food Safety Authority to become involved in the investigation as ultimately they are the state body responsible for upholding the legislation around food labelling.
Finally, he said all retailers, especially those who inadvertently or otherwise stocked these particular potatoes, must do more to ensure that they have traceability systems in place which prevent food fraud.
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