A British supermarket has apologised after mistakenly adding “non-EU” food labels to some of its products.
Social media users had questioned why Morrisons had labelled that its “British chicken” was seasoned with “non-EU salt and pepper.”
The labels were featured on the company’s £4 (€4.70) “roast-in-the-bag” chicken crown.
Some customers accused Morrisons of fuelling anti-EU sentiments, while others threatened to boycott the supermarket.
In a statement, Morrisons apologised for the error and reiterated that the designation was not a “political” gesture.
“The wording on the packaging is an error for which we apologise,” the company said on Twitter. “We are changing the packaging immediately.”
“Our chicken label is adhering to British packaging regulations, however, we will be redesigning it to make it clear this is not a political commentary.”
Under UK food labelling regulations, only specific types of animal-sourced products have to carry the European Union-related tag.
Meat, fish or seafood products must be labelled with their country of origin. Where no country is listed, beef, veal, and minced meat products can be labelled as “EU” or “non-EU” until next October.
However, currently there is no such requirement to label either chicken or seasonings like salt and pepper as “EU” or “non-EU”.
