The Red Tractor logo now features on product with an annual retail sales value of £10bn (€10.9bn), a rise of over £1.5bn (€1.6bn) in the last twelve months, according to Assured Food Standards (AFS) – the organisation behind the UK’s Red Tractor food assurance scheme.
This milestone has been reached under the tenure of the independent organisation’s outgoing chairman, Colin Smith (pictured with incoming chairman David Gregory), who took up the post in 2003.
In a statement, the AFS said that much of the growth had been driven by the UK foodservice sector, which has grownby 50 per cent over in the last year.
All major retailers and more than 500 leading companies use the Red Tractor symbol, which the group said was attracting a high level of interest from foodservice operators supplying the leisure sector as well as public procurement areas such as schools and hospitals.
“As little as two years ago we had no presence in foodservice so this is a important development for us,” said Mr Clarke.
“The Red Tractor logo is a simple shorthand for consumers who want to know that the food they buy meets strict standards of food safety, environmental protection and animal welfare as well as a guarantee of origin.
“For food businesses, Red Tractor reinforces their messaging to customers about the importance of assured quality, traceable food that helps to meet their due diligence requirements.”
The latest announcement coincides with the arrival of new AFS Chairman, David Gregory, who will take over the post on 1 December.
The news also comes shortly after approval from Brussels for the plan by the UK’s Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) to consolidate activity behind the Red Tractor logo.
In a further step in the evolution of Red Tractor, AFS said that it was also on the verge of launching newly harmonised standards for the UK agricultural sector. From April 2010, the scheme’s 78,000 farmers and growers will adopt the new standards that will be are aligned across all farm sectors.
The AFS said that the harmonised standards would ensure that the requirements that underpin the Red Tractor logo are consistent across all sectors.
No comments yet