Local authority body Lacors has told the Food Standards Agency to clamp down on the use of 'top of the range'-style terms on food packaging because they could mislead consumers.

In its submission to an FSA consultation on guidance on food marketing terms, Lacors said the use of words such as 'best', 'finest', 'premium' and 'quality' should be "discouraged" because they were "capable of being misunderstood".

The FSA has proposed new criteria for applying these terms, which are used by some supermarkets on premium own-label ranges. Tesco has a range called Finest, Morrison's The Best and Somerfield Best Ever.

The agency has suggested food bearing the descriptions 'finest', 'quality' or 'premium' should be subject to "the highest quality controls" and contain a high level of the main ingredient. Any product labelled as 'best' should clarify whether the term refers to the ingredients, the recipe, the brand or a range from a specific manufacturer.

Bob Farrand, director of the Guild of Fine Food, said he supported the Lacors submission and urged the FSA to ban the use of such terms unless they could be substantiated. Last year Farrand said supermarkets were "kidding" consumers into believing their premium ranges were the best food they could buy.

"If you see an advert that says 'four out of five cats prefer this product' you always see an asterisk and then at the bottom it gives references to research justifying this," Farrand said. "Food labelling is a kind of advert and should be governed by the same principles. If a product says 'finest' it should explain it is the finest available in that store, or that this claim is based on research."

n Lacors is set to soften its stance on tolerances for nutrient content levels. It has proposed cutting the current 20% permitted to 10%. But meat and dairy suppliers have warned that the nutrient content of fresh food can vary widely according to breed and season. Lacors is now likely to set different tolerances for different categories.

Product news p54