Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he (a) has had and (b) plans to have with representatives of supermarkets on encouraging customers to (i) understand the red traffic label in terms of product assurance and (ii) buy British when choosing dairy products.

Defra regularly engages with retailers and hosts a monthly Retailer Forum. This allows Government to maintain a full picture of the issues affecting the supply chain, discuss retailers' role in delivering Government objectives, introduce emerging policies and address sectoral concerns such as labour supply.

This Government is delivering on its Manifesto commitment for people at home and abroad to be lining up to buy British. British dairy has a great reputation for quality, built on high animal welfare standards, strong environmental protection, traceability and sustainability. These are strong selling points for consumers both at home and abroad. We welcome efforts from all parts of the food chain to promote and source local, British products and it is encouraging that many supermarkets are already taking steps to do so. We are engaging with retailers to identify opportunities to further strengthen their offer on locally sourced food.

The Government is committed to optimising food information so that consumers can make informed choices. Origin information is provided voluntarily for the majority of dairy products, and the Government is exploring ways in which we can strengthen existing origin regulations and provide clearer information to consumers. Industry assurance schemes such as Red Tractor can also help to build consumer confidence in producers who can comply with specific health, welfare or environmental standards. Other voluntary schemes, such as the front of pack traffic light scheme also play an important role in communicating information to shoppers in a way that is easy to understand.