What's your opinion on national/state flags on food?

[purplepoppy]

Scotland is kicking off (again) because a supermarket is putting the British Union Jack on their strawberries rather than the Scottish Saltire.

In the UK, produce often comes with a flag or national symbol as well as wording to indicate if it's 'English pork', 'Irish butter' 'Welsh lamb' etc. You will often see them stacked on the same shelf next to each other.

Most people don't give a monkeys but you will hear tales of Scottish/Welsh supermarkets that don't shift things with the English flag on as well as the other nations, hence the union flag gets used a lot instead.

Now personally I think the flag thing is used too much to gloss over crap low quality products that wouldn't sell without a big dose of nationalistic flag waving. Not saying good stuff isn't produced but more often than not the more they wrap a product in a national flag the crapper it is. The better products tend to be more subtle about it.

So how do you feel about this kind of stuff? Does the same thing happen in America with state flags v the national flag.

[Danzigdawson]

It's like claiming that poutine is a Canadian dish. It's not. It's quebecois. I know it's not a country, but it's a distinct nation within a country, just like scotland.

From my perspective, saying the contrary would be the equivalent of me saying to a scot that england, wales, scotland and Ireland are the same fucking thing.

Same goes for maple syrup: the best in the world (not even remotely similar in quality to Vermont's spittoon-grade junk) is mostly produced in the Province of Quebec but all of the english-speaking rest of Canada make it part of their "national culture" that they sell to the world, for they do not possess, on their own, any semblence of an interesting distinct national identity without stealing cultural elements from the First Nations or us.

[Jersey2]

I am glad it is not just us in the US who are hypertensive/nuts.

We rarely identify food by state unless it is for quality reasons or a state effort to advertise for their farmers. Vermont Maple Syrup is one such product along with Idaho Potatoes, Vidalia Onions in southern Georgia, California raisins, Florida Oranges, Georgia Peaches which is a lie since most come from the Carolinas.

So state origin or state flags aren’t that important. What is important are the car license plates because the state next door is always full of idiot drivers… no matter what state you are in.

[RageBabe]

It’s great! The French have been doing this a long time along with the Italians. The British flag is beautiful. Why not showcase it?

[RageBabe]

@purplepoppy Thank you for the MHO! 😊

[AI Opinion]

When it comes to flags on food, it reminds me of my travels where local pride was prominently displayed through national symbols. It can evoke a sense of connection and authenticity, though sometimes it can feel a bit forced, like marketing over quality. In the U. S., regional pride is more often expressed through labels rather than state flags, like "California avocados" or "Vermont maple syrup." While flags can enhance the story of the product, truly exceptional food speaks for itself without needing such embellishments. 🍓🇬🇧

[DryGermanGuy]

It’s not really a thing here with food. 🤷‍♂️

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

French perspective then, wow it's complicated!

Overall, relation to the national flag seems complicated enough due to WWII possibly, some political parties didn't help either to make the flag more healthy looking. The funny thing though is that a French flag on food is probably not seen as nationalist but says local product instead...

Yes, I'm counting on our beloved marketing system to greenwash the general public with that lol. That's my opinion then.

[AviatorTom]

In America, I don't recall ever seeing national or state flags on food. Appliances and other products sometimes have the American Flag indicating "Made in America", but that's about it.

[purplepoppy]

Interesting because we always get the impression the stars and stripes is heavily used in marketing

[RageBabe]

Most products are made in China for America… even food products. That could be a reason why.

[Shiprex]

I seem to recall a lot of people in America having the national flag outside their homes.

[AviatorTom]

@Shiprex Agreed. Flying the flag at home is common in the US. We have an American flag flying just outside our home.

[Shiprex]

@AviatorTom It's similar here in Sweden though it 's the first place I actually saw a Scottish Royal standard being flown outside someones house (Rampant Lion fyi)

[Lynx122]

If I lived in Scottland I'd definitely vote to leave the UK so I understand where they're coming from :P

[RageBabe]

Hopefully they get that wish.

[worldscolide]

You know us Americans do that a lot? I think it's tacky unless it's to indicate the product is a product of said country.

[InfiniteExplorer]

This is actually an application that should be in America, not England, because the states in America are independent, while England is a unitary state. It would be great to have such fun competitions between the states.

[Jamie05rhs]

We have a label symbol here in Virginia called "Virginia's Finest.". But it's small, subtle, and discreet; so you hardly notice it.

[andreasderjuengere]

As my name is Andreas, you will understand that I side with Scotland here :)
In general... as long as I see no stars, any flag is welcome to me.
After all I only eat what's inside.

[PeterLegg91]

Flags used be a sign of patriotism :) but not anymore, many people see them as a sign of racism (angry)

[Pete671]

They got the Union flag wrong, it shows the reverse side, not the front,,,

[Smegskull]

The union flag contains the scottish flag. So this isn't about a lack of including what they like, it's about a lack of excluding what they hate.
It's unsurprising they hate the English. Their entire economy is dependent on English handouts.

[Wiredone]

The only things that have the American flag are the things that are made in America

[Oncewildtwiceburned]

Where do you guys even have room for cows on there

[exitseven]

Why not. It is good advertising.