Warning issued for brits buying chicken and potatoes from major supermarkets

"THE PARTY’S OVER — THAT’S GONE. WE’RE IN A NEW ERA NOW." 14:30, 21 May 2025 Brits have been warned about buying supermarket staples from some of the biggest stores in the country.

Experts have claimed that the UK has never grown less of its own food, including everyday favourites like chicken and potatoes. According to those in the industry, the lower price of

imported produce combined with poorer returns from local farming in recent years means that our self-sufficiency is at risk. Speaking about the huge shift, Tim Lang, professor emeritus of

food policy at City St George's, University of London, said: The party’s over — that’s gone. We’re in a new era now." Prof Lang is the man who coined the term 'food

miles', which is the distance food has travelled to get to your plate. If a product has fewer food miles from the farm or factory to the supermarket and then to your home, then there is

less pollution involved and it is better for the planet. And if we are seeing an increase in food imported from overseas, that is obviously going to mean that there are more food miles on

the things you are eating. As reported by Birmingham Live, Prof Lang added: "The public is in a complete fantasy world of just thinking Tesco will always deliver." Last month, a

campaign group called Save British Farming protested outside Westminster with banners that said: "Ration books are coming". And while the days of rationing may not be as close as

the protestors suggest, traditional British produce appears to be featuring less on the shelves than in previous years. According to The Times, Marks and Spencer have been selling potatoes

from as far afield as Israel and Egypt in a bid to fill gaps before the UK crop was ready for their stores. Egypt is also supplying spring onions to Tesco, along with Senegal. While it is

claimed some of the supermarket's meal deal sandwiches contain non-UK chicken. Tesco told the Daily Record that they do source produce from other countries at times to ensure

availability throughout the year but that they attempt to source from within the UK when in season, and clearly label British produce in stores. Richard Griffiths, chief executive of the

British Poultry Council, claims that more than a third of chicken sold in supermarkets comes from outwith Britain. He reckoned the level of non-UK chicken, which was up at 96 per cent in

2020, was running at "60 to 65 per cent... probably closer to 60 per cent at the moment." Tom Bradshaw, president of the National Farmers' Union, was of a similar mind.

Blasting major retailers, he said: "The vast majority [of supermarkets] are being absolutely duplicitous. "The moment they think that poultry becomes invisible — in ready meals or

sandwiches — they are importing it from Poland, Brazil or Thailand." JOIN THE DAILY RECORD WHATSAPP COMMUNITY! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp

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Privacy Notice. Prof Lang added: “We’re not even self-sufficient in potatoes. We’re importing them from Egypt, for God’s sake, which is drought-stressed. Look at where we get so much of our

veg: Murcia, in southeast Spain. It is water-stressed. It is bonkers.” “Ten years ago, we were growing about 120,000 hectares of potatoes in this country. We’re now down to less than

100,000, so we’ve had nearly a 20 per cent decline,” another potato farmer said. “The fundamental problem we’ve got in Britain with agriculture and food production is we don’t incentivise

farmers to grow food. They’re growing for commodities.” A spokesperson for Tesco said: “We are proud to be Scottish agriculture’s biggest customer and we are a leading supporter of the

thousands of Scottish farmers we work with year-round to provide our customers with quality, affordable Scottish produce. "As we move into the summer growing season, customers will see

start to see more fantastic quality Scottish produce across our stores” The Daily Record has approached M&S for comment. Article continues below