Retailers are getting the message about labelling gammons and hams with country of origin.

Gammon Watch, a new report from the British Pig Executive, said that a high percentage of the seasonal gammons and speciality hams in the major multiples before Christmas carried clear country of origin information.

Marks & Spencer, Somerfield and Waitrose labelled every product with the information. Asda, Co-op, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, and Tesco still sold some products where no specific country of origin was mentioned, or only had it in small print on the back.

Last summer, BPEX published a report indicating that more than half of all manufacturers' branded pork and pork products and one in four own label products carried no clear origin information.

"The results are encouraging as is the absence of statements such as 'produced' or 'cured in the UK'," said Stewart Houston, BPEX chairman.

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