Knowing where what you buy was made helps you support local production, cut transport and avoid surprises. These are the steps that work, from most to least reliable.
The most reliable source is the pack itself: “Made in”, “Produced in”, “Country of origin”, “Origin” or “Product of”. In the EU, fresh meat, fresh fruit and vegetables, unprocessed fish, eggs, honey and virgin and extra virgin olive oil must state their origin.
For other foods, EU Regulation 1169/2011 requires the origin when leaving it out could mislead, for example when the pack shows the flag or landscape of another country.
The address on the label belongs to the business responsible for the information, which may be the brand or the retailer. A supermarket brand based in one country may sell products made in another.
If the label only gives the distributor’s address, the real origin may be in the small print, in the batch code or on the manufacturer’s website.
The barcode prefix (50 for the UK, 69 for China…) shows where the company is registered, not where the product was made. See the list of prefixes to understand each one.
Origen reads the barcode with your camera and shows the manufacturing country and ingredient origins stated in Open Food Facts, Open Beauty Facts and Open Products Facts. No account needed, and your history stays on your phone.
When the public record does not state the origin, Origen says so clearly. You can complete it on Open Food Facts with a photo of the label so the next person finds it.
In the EU it is mandatory for fresh meat, fresh fruit and vegetables, unprocessed fish, eggs, honey and virgin and extra virgin olive oil, and for any food where leaving it out could mislead. For other products it depends on the type and the country.
No. Packing is only the last step. The main ingredient or the product itself may come from another country.
Scan the barcode with Origen or search by name. If the public record states it, you will see the manufacturing country and the ingredient origins.