Food companies that use promotional and booklet labels as part of their marketing strategies may soon be required to be more open about where their ingredients have been sourced.

Richard Bacon, MP for South Norfolk, believes many ready meal manufacturers in particular are failing to tell consumers where the meat they use actually originates.

Indeed, he argued that some are suggesting meat hails from the UK even if it has been imported from overseas and only processed on British shores.

As a result, Mr Bacon has put forward proposed legislation to require companies to be more open about where their ingredients come from.

The MP said he believes the existing rules on food labelling are not fit for purpose, as many members of the public are continuing to be misled.

"If producers say on the label meat is British, it should actually be British," he insisted.

This comes after consumer group Which? called on retailers and manufacturers to be clear and accurate when naming their products, as some are confusing customers by implying some ingredients are more prevalent than they actually are.

Denny Bros Ltd, 04 April 2011