Coffee from Guatemala. Brie from France. Strawberries from, erm, England. For most of us, knowing the country our food has come from is enough to satisfy our curiosity. But for a new breed of shopper, country-of-origin labels are far from adequate.
As part of what’s known as ‘hyper-provenance’, these consumers are calling on food brands, retailers and restaurants to tell customers every detail – right down to which farm produced their cheese and the name of the cow that was milked for their lattes.
Think that sounds impossible? Surprisingly, lots of companies are going for it. Fish suppliers John West now include codes on their tuna cans. When you enter them online, the website reveals the name and picture of the boat used to catch the fish.
And it’s not just for fun, either. The initiative added £17m to the brand’s sales, and has now been rolled out to salmon, mackerel and sardines. What’s next? Prawns with family trees?