The issue of food labelling has yet again risen to the forefront of British news following a series of revelations regarding popular restaurant chain Whitbread. According to industry experts, this iconic establishment is being forced to issue an official apologies to customers after it was discovered that the company had begun to supplement their beef lasagne with pork while simultaneously refraining from informing customers about the change. Apparently,Whitbread had adopted this controversial practice in order to reduce their operating expenses. The implications of this action are quite serious. On a very practical level, it has undermined the legitimacy and trustworthiness of what was previously considered a highly popular establishment. For those who may have, for dietary or religious reasons, chosen specifically not to eat pork, this news is likely to come as a horrid surprise. Fundamentally, we almost instinctively trust that the food we have ordered will include the ingredients listed and none other. This incident, therefore, has produced quite a shock across a large cross-section of its patron demographic.
And, this is not the first time that Whitbread has found itself in the centre of controversy related to meat products and labelling. Less than four years ago, the restaurant chain was found to have incorporated horse meat into a collection of their dishes. Although representatives from the restaurant chain denied having any knowledge that such an action had happened (they claimed that their distributor had added horse meat without disclosing this to its customers), Whitbread did, nevertheless, sustain a large blow to their credibility. Now, it seems likely that similar damage will occur yet again.
The company has, of course, issued a sincere apology for their transgression, and denied that the addition of pork was for cost-cutting measures and was simply an attempt to more closely mirror the authentic culinary heritage of Italy. Regardless of their intentions, however, the company has betrayed its customers by neglecting the food labelling practices so many of us consider an essential part of food culture. Food labelling must be treated with respect. Whitbread is learning this the hard way. More information regarding this particular story will likely be published as it becomes available. As of right now, no punitive measures are expected to be levied against the restaurant chain.
