The printed labels on food products can often be misleading to shoppers, a consumer group has warned.
According to Which?, many of the labels currently used by supermarkets and manufacturers often make use of "marketing inventions".
For instance, some were said to be adding the names of fictitious farms to their products, even if the foods were produced in a variety of locations across the country.
Richard Lloyd, executive director of Which?, has acknowledged this practice is not against the law but suggested it could be confusing many customers.
"The food industry must do more to make sure people get what they think they're paying for," he commented.
Which? noted that restrictions on place names on product labels only apply in the case of areas with Protected Geographical Status, such as Melton Mowbray, which is famous for producing pork pies.
This, it said, means retailers and manufacturers are free to use names that do not exist - a tactic Which? believes can conjure the "illusion of a more personal shopping experience" or "evoke images of a specific location".
Denny Bros Ltd, 15 February 2012
