Restaurants must do more to support UK's key industry, poll finds

By Steph Spyro, Deputy Political Editor

British diners want to see more locally sourced produce in foods (Image: Getty)

Britons want restaurants to do more to support British farmers, a poll has found. Nearly seven in 10 (68%) of people surveyed said either strongly agreed or somewhat agreed that diners that choose cheaper imports over local produce are putting profit over people.

A similar number of people (67%) agreed that restaurants have a moral obligation to support farmers by buying British. Diners also wanted more transparency about where restaurant ingredients come from

Almost eight in 10 people believe that restaurants should be clear about the origin of the major ingredients used in menu items.

The poll of 1.520 people, carried out by Fleetwood Strategy, found consumers associate British food with freshness and quality, higher food standards, and lower environmental footprint.

Liberal Democrat Environment spokesman Tim Farron MP said: “People can see that our British farmers have been hammered by the Conservatives botched trade deals and Labour’s family farm tax. They are desperate to support them and we should be giving them every opportunity to buy British.

“It is why we have given the Government the opportunity to make that a reality by tabling amendments that would help improve the visibility of British beef on menus and improve food labelling.

"Ministers refused to take up our proposals, leaving our farmers once more sidelined.

“The Government needs to take note of public anger towards their treatment of farmers. They should increase the farming budget by £1billion a year to back British farmers and step up efforts to help people buy British.”

The Daily Express has called for Britons to buy local products as part of its Save Britain's Family Farms crusade.