Tesco fictional farm brands (UK)
- The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
In 2016 Tesco launched seven fictional farm brand names for its products. A farmers' union complained to Trading Standards; Tesco said the names denote a quality specification, not a farm.
2016. Tesco states the brands appear in more than 70% of its customers' baskets (company statement).
Status As of July 2016 reporting: the National Farmers' Union complaint to Trading Standards was undecided; no later ruling found.
- Tesco — Sold products under farm-style names; says the brands appear in more than 70% of baskets. The Drum
What happened
In 2016 Tesco launched seven fictional farm brands, among them Boswell and Woodside. The names are not those of working farms, and some of the products sold under them are imported.
In July 2016 the National Farmers' Union complained to Trading Standards about the brands, as reported by The Drum and Food Manufacture.
Tesco said the names are a quality specification, not a farm. It stated that the brands appear in more than 70% of baskets.
The complaint was left without a decision between the institutions concerned.
- 2016Tesco launches seven fictional farm brands; the National Farmers' Union complains to Trading Standards (July); no decision is recorded
What was said
Where accounts differ
Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.
Complained to Trading Standards about the brand names.
Food ManufactureNo decision on the complaint is recorded in the sources reviewed.
How it looked
Shown
Recorded
- The names do not belong to farms and some of the products are imported.
- Tesco says the names are a quality specification, not a farm.
- The farmers' union complaint was not decided between the institutions concerned.
Who gained
Reached nature or the ground
Gained elsewhere
Responses on record
- tesco (July 2016): The names are a quality specification, not a farm; the brands appear in more than 70% of baskets. · The Drum
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
- 2016-07–Outcome not on recordNFU complaint to Trading Standards over Tesco farm brandsTrading Standards (complaint) · Regulatory · National Farmers' Union → Tesco
The union complained about the use of fictional farm names; the complaint was left undecided between the institutions concerned. The Drum
Insurers
What nature saw
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
What we don't know
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
Court
- Unclear NFU complaint to Trading Standards over Tesco farm brands: outcome not on record.
Accounts
- Disputed Do the fictional farm names misrepresent the origin of the products?
- None on record Trading Standards and other institutions: No decision on the complaint is recorded in the sources reviewed.
Record
- None on record The complaint to Trading Standards was left without a decision between the institutions concerned.
Did the harm stop?
No change to the brands is recorded in the sources reviewed.
Who paid?
Not established in the sources reviewed; no harm to nature is recorded in this case.
Sources
Press and investigations
- Fake farm brands spark NFU complaintFood Manufacture · 2016-07-18
Connected cases
- Amazon Soy Moratorium Brazil · 2006–2026
- Tesco (Company) — here: Retailer that launched the brands; there: Retailer that wrote to the traders
- Killings alleged at Del Monte's pineapple farm in Thika, Kenya Kenya · 2023
- Tesco (Company) — here: Retailer that launched the brands; there: Supermarket reported to have halted orders
- WWF-UK corporate income falls to GBP 10.6m as charity consults on 90 job cuts United Kingdom · 2024–2025
- Tesco (Company) — here: Retailer that launched the brands; there: Corporate partner whose partnership ended or was scaled back