A New Logo from
Contents Background Use of the Red Tractor logo Extending the scope Use of the Made With Red Tractor logo Why use the new logo? How to apply to use the new logo
Background Launched in 2000, Red Tractor Assurance is now the largest farm and quality food assurance scheme in the UK. It encompasses food safety, traceability, hygiene, animal welfare and environmental protection. The Red Tractor logo signifies responsibly produced food that is traceable from farms to pack. It can only be used on food that has been produced, packed, stored and transported to Red Tractor standards. The logo includes a statement of origin; the Union flag in the logo provides assurances that the food has been farmed, processed and packed in the UK. Products covered by Red Tractor Assurance schemes are: Fresh meat: beef, lamb, pork, chicken and turkey Further processed meat: bacon, ham and sausages Milk, cheese and other dairy products Fruit, vegetables, salad and potatoes Cereals, oilseeds, pulses and sugar There are over 79,000 Red Tractor farms in the UK and 661 processors and packers licensed to use the logo on pack. All suppliers in the Red Tractor food chain are inspected and certified by an independent professional body over 50,000 checks take place each year. The Red Tractor logo is used extensively by major UK retailers and many branded manufacturers as well as 2,900 foodservice outlets; Red Tractor Assured products have a combined annual sales value of around 12 billion. Currently, the Red Tractor logo is recognised by 64% of shoppers. Currently, the Red Tractor logo is recognised by 64% of shoppers.
Use of the Red Tractor logo Up until now there have only been two versions of the Red Tractor logo; the standard version and the Named Ingredient version. The standard Red Tractor logo should only be used on primary products or lightly seasoned products e.g. a bag of carrots or a seasoned steak. The Red Tractor ingredient should be a minimum of 95% of the product. Red Tractor Named Ingredient logos can be used on products where 100% of the main ingredient is Red Tractor Assured. The main ingredient, featured in the logo, must represent at least 65% of the total product. For example, the Red Tractor logo for pork can be used on a sausage where Red Tractor pork is the named assured ingredient. However, Red Tractor Assurance had a number of queries from industry about whether the logo could be extended to the key ingredients of products such as ready meals and pies, pasties and breaded or coated products. Red Tractor Assured products have a combined annual sales value of around 12 billion.
Extending the scope While consumers are already familiar with the standard Red Tractor logo found on millions of food and beverage packs, up until now it has not been possible to use it on products such as ready meals, hot and cold eating pies or breaded poultry products. An IGD survey commissioned by Red Tractor Assurance in 2013 revealed that 52% of consumers would be more likely to buy this type of product if it were labelled with the Red Tractor logo. It also highlighted that consumer concerns when buying products like ready meals and pies are primarily focused on the protein element of the product. The new Made With Red Tractor logo is intended to provide a clear indication that a key ingredient of a manufactured food product is Red Tractor assured. It is the only version of the Red Tractor logo that can be used on products where the named ingredient is below 65% of the product. We have also developed Made With logo criteria for non-meat products including jams, flour based confectionery, fruit pies and potato products. You can see at a glance that it s obviously got quality meat in it... C2D, young family
Use of the new logo The logo is primarily intended to be used on manufactured food products It can also be used on foods that consumers might believe to include more than one ingredient, such as burgers and meat balls It CANNOT be used on primary products such as whole cuts of meat and poultry, milk, fruit and vegetables etc. It CANNOT be used on bacon, ham or sausages, which are covered by BMPA Charter standards and normal Red Tractor licensing rules The logo can only be applied if the main or characterising ingredient of the food (normally the protein) is Red Tractor assured e.g. the beef in a lasagne or lamb in shepherd s pie. 100% of the ingredient named in the logo must be Red Tractor assured. It is not acceptable to state Made With Red Tractor Assured Beef if only a proportion of the beef meets the claim. If two protein products are used (steak & kidney, chicken & ham), both must be assured. Ideally, other key ingredients in the product, (e.g. the potato in a cottage pie) should also be Red Tractor assured. Derogations can apply where and when this is not practicable 1. It is not acceptable to highlight secondary ingredients if characterising ingredients are not Red Tractor Assured. All companies packing products using the Made With logo must be Red Tractor licensed. 1 Derogations for other key ingredients are: May not be available all year round; May be unavailable due to poor harvest; Not technically suitable for required product
Why use the new logo? Consumer feedback about the new Made With Red Tractor logo was very positive. Shoppers understand it - and more than half would be more likely to buy a product which carries the logo 1. Retailers using the new logo have reported sales increases of up to 10% in like-for-like sales. Use of the Red Tractor logo on ready meals or other manufactured food products will provide consumers with reassurances about the quality, traceability and provenance of that product. The new logo will be supported by a multi-faceted marketing communications campaign from Red Tractor Assurance which will further enhance awareness and understanding of the Red Tractor brand. Put simply, ready meals and other products which carry the Made With Red Tractor logo will have greater appeal to consumers. Retailers, brand owners and manufacturers which use the logo are therefore likely to sell more product. How to apply to use the new logo Any company wishing to use the Made With logo will need to complete a license application form in the first instance. To request a copy of the form, or for further information, please contact Red Tractor Assurance on: Tel: 0207 6303320 or email kelly.garrod@redtractor.org.uk 1 IGD Survey conducted in August 2013. Sample of 2,000 UK shoppers. Red Tractor Assurance, Europoint Centre, 5-11 Lavington Street, London SE1 0NZ