Western Sahara: Origin Marking
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2025 to UIN 61881 on Western Sahara: Origin Marking, if she will take steps to ensure that produce originating in Western Sahara is labelled as such by supermarkets.
Answered by Dame Angela Eagle
The Government is committed to ensuring that UK consumers are not misled about the origin of the food they purchase. In accordance with Assimilated EU Regulation 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, food labelling must not be misleading, including in relation to the origin or provenance of food.
It is the UK position that where origin information is given for food products made or grown in the Western Sahara, it must give accurate origin information and cannot be labelled as Moroccan.
The Government has begun negotiations with the EU on an SPS agreement which will cover SPS standards and controls and also wider agrifood rules, including food labelling and key agri-food marketing standards. The Government is considering any EU legislative developments that could potentially affect labelling policy in the UK.
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