Manx supermarket chain Shoprite has apologised to customers after pre-packaged portions of meat appeared on its shelves wrongly labelled as Manx produce.
The matter was raised with the shop after the Manx NFU received complaints about misleading or incorrect information on packaging.
Some portions of non-Manx meat were sold from fridge shelves labelled ‘Ballacushag Farm’ – the brand adopted by Shoprite for Manx products. Others were marked ‘produce of EEC’ but also bore a Ballacushag Farm label, and some packages of minced steak were labelled as Manx despite being imported.
The mistake caused a wave of criticism from people posting on the Manx NFU Facebook page, with contributers describing the news as ‘shocking’ and ‘disappointing’, and one accusing Shoprite of failing to take responsibility for its mistakes.
Shoprite blamed the confusion on a shortage of local meat which forced it to source products elsewhere. When the meat was packaged, it said operators forgot to amend details on the labelling machine.
A statement from the chain said: ‘As a business that prides itself on both its commitment to Manx produce and its integrity in dealing with its suppliers and customers, we were disappointed when we became aware of a handful of labelling issues within our meat area, due mainly to a failure of the local supply for red meat. We want to apologise to customers and to reassure them that we have worked openly and transparently with environmental health to understand, explain and remedy this situation.’
It said orders were placed for local meat but this was not met so last-minute supplies had to sourced off-island, this in turn, necessitated quick changes to the packaging and labelling systems.
A Shoprite spokesman added: ‘The future viability of the abattoir, the increasing volume of live exports and the frequent changes in senior management at Isle of Man Meats, all pose risks to the long-term future of the Manx meat industry.’
The complaint was investigated by the government’s Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture, which said it was reassured the complaints had been given priority. Referring to comments about Isle of Man Meats, the DEFA’s statement added: ‘We are confident this situation will be quickly resolved, particularly as there is new management at Isle of Man Meats after a transitional period.
‘DEFA will continue to work with Shoprite and Isle of Man Meats to ensure any supply chain issues can be addressed. While it may not welcome import of foreign meat, DEFA acknowledges it helps balance supply and demand and, where properly labelled, gives consumers choice.’