Willow Farms whole chicken, Boswell Farms diced beef, and Rosedene Farms blueberries were all found to come from manufacturers with no relation to the names on the packaging of the final product. In fact, some of the foods were imported from overseas and given British names to make them sound local.
Back in 2017 the National Farmers Union asked Trading Standards to investigate Tesco over brands named after fictional farms, on the grounds that consumers believe they are exclusively UK-sourced. An adverse ruling would hurt its ability to compete with Aldi’s private label brands. There is no record of this being addressed.
While there was a considerable outpouring of scorn from British farmers back in 2016, Tesco doesn’t seem to have learned much. They are still in a race for the bottom with Aldi and UK farmers are just a hinderance.
This tweet comes from Riverford who describe them selves as: Proper farmers with mud on our boots, growing & delivering 100% organic produce. Leading the #VegRevolution since 1986. Follow our online mag @WickedLeeksmag. They are based in Devon and their website is riverford.co.uk, where they say they stand for:
“As farmers ourselves, we promise a fair deal to all the small-scale growers we work with.”
Fair pay for farmers
Grown for flavour
We lovingly grow our veg for the best flavour, not cosmetic perfection – wonky veg is welcome!
Organic and beyond
Farming sustainably is at the heart of all we do, looking after our soil, wildlife, and water sources.
Planet-friendly packaging
All our fruit and veg packaging is paper or home compostable, where packaging is needed at all.
Ever tried to find any of Tesco's farms on a map? Rosedene Farm sounds like a lovely place… You won't get far though. It's another fake farm brand.
— Riverford (@Riverford) June 29, 2023
Why do they need to fabricate farms? Because they can't offer commitment to any real farms. https://t.co/QuLbwP3210