IFA President and IFA Dairy Executive Catherine Lascurettes show some eveyday supermarket examples, as they urge consumers to check twice to make sure the food they buy this Christmas is really Irish, and is priced in an economically sustainable manner.

Irish consumer are being misled by retailers who 'fudge' labelling to make products look Irish and heavily discounted prices distort consumers' perception of value.

Special prices on fresh food are damaging the Irish food supply and are unethical, but probably not illegal, according to the IFA, which launched a campaign to highlight what it calls 'unsustainable discounting' and 'fudging' of labels.

IFA's Catherine Lascurettes said some supermarkets 'fudge' information around the provenance of food, carrying Irish flags, which she said is misleading consumers and is done because consumers want to buy Irish.

"67pc of consumers believe buying local is important, but produced in Ireland does not mean that the product is Irish," she said, while some retailers use 'fake' farms and creameries to suggest the food is Irish.

Consumers, she said, should ignore flags of convenience and look for local co-op names and brands. "A tricolour does not mean that the product originates in the Republic of Ireland."

She showed products including Egan's potatoes, which are from France, Rathdaragh Cheese - from both Ireland and the UK, while IFA President Joe Healy showed meat products with similar packaging - one of which was Irish, the other meat chicken from both the EU and Ukraine.

The IFA also said that heavy discounting by retailers has a negative impact on supply, at the launch of its Fairness for Farmers, Honesty for Consumers campaign launch.

"Discounting may look very attractive in the short term, but it does have its impacts," she said. She said it distorts consumers' perception of value and encourages food waste, as well as squeezing farmers' margins and discourages new producers.

Ireland has just one scallion grower, one pepper grower and two iceberg lettuce growers, as 'unsustainable discounting' is leading to farmers' margins being squeezed. She said that food security could be come an issue for some foods and Ireland may have to import some fresh foods to meet demand.

Fresh fruit and vegetables account for over 14pc of consumers grocery spend, but farmgate prices have reduced by 20pc in the past five years. she said.

"Retail prices for fresh fruit and vegetables often do not cover the full cost of production."

Some 90pc of consumers think Irish farmers should be protected by legislation to ensure they receive a fair price for their produce, research by Agri Aware shows.

The Ipos MRBI survey shows that 95pc agree that Irish farmers play an important role in the Irish economy.

Online Editors