The Conversation (0)
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Sinead Butler
1635850917
Supermarket retailer Morrisons has apologised after suffering backlash over a product that was advertised as being made from “non-EU salt and pepper”.
The item in question was the supermarket’s roast in the bag £4 Salt & Pepper Chicken Crown, which was also marketed as “British”.
Customer Lee Williscroft-Ferris tweeted a picture of the packing and wrote directly to the supermarket: “Tell me @Morrisons that this is not real. Your response will dictate whether or not I ever shop at your stores again.”
Tell me @Morrisons that this is not real. Your response will dictate whether or not I ever shop at your stores agai… https://t.co/6Rt8Eu0X1G— Lee W-F (@Lee W-F) 1635794637
Many others reshared the image and vowed that they would boycott the supermarket chain over the label, which some perceived as being anti-EU.
@MXOFO @Morrisons I’m done with shopping @Morrisons. I can live with union flags on bananas, but the gratuitous sli… https://t.co/bv5XAdYcRS— David Bright (@David Bright) 1635798447
Sometimes, you look at things and think 'this much be photoshopped'. Then you realise that, no, @Morrisons really a… https://t.co/hul60hvyXv— Marco Hackingtackle (@Marco Hackingtackle) 1635843173
@MXOFO @Morrisons Yep, me too. If this is genuine, @Morrisons will never see another penny of mine.— Gareth Thomas 💙 (@Gareth Thomas 💙) 1635799727
@MXOFO @Morrisons Let me tell you where you can stuff your chicken......— Mike Qwertyco (@Mike Qwertyco) 1635806665
@MXOFO @Morrisons As a frequent customer of @Morrisons I also would like to know if they want me to take my business elsewhere.— WolfH (@WolfH) 1635795667
@Morrisons Surely a parody? If not, prepare for the implications... https://t.co/PSEsv5F5hY— Metropolitan (@Metropolitan) 1635846356
Morrisons later responded to one of those tweets, describing the wording as “an error”. The chain also said they would be changing the packaging “immediately.”
@DGBright @MXOFO Hi David, The wording on the packaging is an error for which we apologise. We are changing the pa… https://t.co/TnyonjEnUp— Morrisons (@Morrisons) 1635805481
However, the issue sparked a debate, with some saying they didn’t see a problem and didn’t understand what all the fuss was about.
Genuinely who cares https://t.co/ahk1X6NVKD— L0gan (@L0gan) 1635844232
Imagine being offended by this? 😂 https://t.co/sL3duXQhhF— Chris Rose (@Chris Rose) 1635840257
Why are people so upset by this 🤔 https://t.co/sVTeMHC4ca— Lin Mei (@Lin Mei) 1635846788
Brits triggered by salt and pepper. This timeline just keeps on giving. https://t.co/SuNOnbauRF— Lafe Long (@Lafe Long) 1635846206
Jon Stone, Policy Correspondent at The Independent, provided an insightful thread as to why “non-EU salt and pepper” might be stipulated on the product.
Stone said: “The hysterical reaction to this is very funny – ‘non-EU’ is actually a stipulated wording in EU regulations for foods where there isn’t a single country of origin.
“But some people seem to think this chicken is some kind of anti-Brussels Brexit triumphalism,” he added.
The hysterical reaction to this is very funny - ‘non-EU’ is actually a stipulated wording in EU regulations for foo… https://t.co/s4j9rg5j6q— Jon Stone (@Jon Stone) 1635840450
He continued by noting how EU labelling regulations were switched into UK law after Brexit and retailers have until October 2022 to change references to “non-EU” to “non-UK.”
A few things are going on here - EU labelling regulations were more or less transposed into UK law after Brexit - R… https://t.co/vwI7WQgLDE— Jon Stone (@Jon Stone) 1635842399
So why was the British flag included on the packaging? Stone says this is because the supermarket wanted to “make a virtue of the chicken being local” and therefore added the country of origin on the label.
But this also meant that they had to stipulate where the salt and pepper came from – and because they’re from different countries, “non-EU” is the “standard way to describe it,” Stone said.
- They clearly wanted to make a virtue of the chicken being local so put the country of origin labelling on the fro… https://t.co/y4PzAVOro5— Jon Stone (@Jon Stone) 1635842453
Due to the big British flag, the salt and pepper origins also had to be displayed prominently too, so that customers are not misled.
- Why did they state the origin of the salt and pepper so prominently? Labelling guidelines say that if other thing… https://t.co/BC2FaDzX89— Jon Stone (@Jon Stone) 1635842956
If this is the case, then why did Morrisons apologise and promise to change their packaging?
Stone guessed this maybe because they “probably realised they didn’t have to use the wording to refer to salt and pepper:
@damonwake they probably realised they didn’t have to use the wording to refer to salt and pepper or I think even p… https://t.co/H9duw2NpsS— Jon Stone (@Jon Stone) 1635840868
Also, perhaps, because the customer is always right – meaning they’re willing to change their product if they think they might lose customers.
So why did Morrisons say they made a mistake? Becuase you’re shouting at them and they want your business. It’s pos… https://t.co/S0YfJxJ0Zb— Jon Stone (@Jon Stone) 1635843643
However, it’s not the first time supermarket food packaging has caused a heated Brexit debate.
Earlier this year, Sophia Collins tweeted her dismay at the Union Jack packaging for her butter she purchased from Morrisons.
“I don’t actually need my fridge to be a UKIP advert, thanks, Morrison’s,” she tweeted.
I don’t actually need my fridge to be a UKIP advert, thanks, Morrison’s https://t.co/RPFIjP4hli— Sophia Collins (@Sophia Collins) 1612099936
A Morrisons spokesperson told indy100: “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.’’