This year's Red Tractor Week set out to portray what the logo means to consumers and explain how it provides the shopper with a shortcut to affordable, quality food and drink.
At a time when food security is under renewed scrutiny and quality is absolutely paramount, the campaign combined a serious message with a sense of fun to underline its message.
Richard Cattell, head of marketing for Red Tractor, explains: 'Red Tractor Week celebrates 12 years of great farming and great food under the logo, and aims to showcase the fact the logo is a sign of food safety, environmental protection, animal welfare as well as origin.
'Red Tractor Week will help further raise awareness and understanding of the good standards our 78,000 farmers and 700 food manufacturers operate to.'
In the build up to the event Red Tractor commissioned research that revealed widespread support for the logo from consumers when eating out and cooking at home. The survey showed that consumers not only look for a clear sign of origin and quality, but 56 per cent also said that when eating out they would like to see the Red Tractor logo.
Cattell adds: 'We're halfway there. Consumers want a guarantee both in and out of the home that the food they are eating meets good standards.'
The PR activity this year, which put a heavy emphasis on both genuine and lookalike celebrities, saw ex-Corrie and Bad Girls actress Debra Stephenson highlighting to consumers the versatility of the Red Tractor message and urging them to buy, cook and eat quality-assured products.
'Since I've become aware of the Red Tractor logo, it's been great to see the breadth of food and drink products that the logo covers,' Stephenson says. 'Red Tractor products are available at your local supermarket, covering everything from meat to fruit and veg, cereals to dairy and even beer –everything I need to feed my family for a week at an affordable cost – and I'm safe in the knowledge the food has been produced to good standards.'
Activities included cookalong videos with Stephenson, downloadable meal plans and a cooking competition, as well as a range of social media activity. —
LOOKS LIKE A LAUGH
This year's Red Tractor Week enlisted the help of a number of 'celebrities' – or at least their lookalike alter egos – in a series of light-hearted videos promoting assured farm food. Among those parodying their real-life counterparts were 'Nigella', 'Davina' and 'Mary Portas' – all played by Debra Stephenson.
CASE STUDY: REYNOLDS
Reynolds, a licensee since 2009, offers customers a comprehensive range of Red Tractor-assured fresh produce throughout the year, supporting British farmers and growers.
Andy Weir, head of marketing (pictured), says: 'This year's Red Tractor Week highlights the incredible variety of Red Tractor-assured food and drink that is produced in the UK and how easy it is for consumers to enjoy quality-assured produce when they eat out.
'Coinciding with this activity, we are delighted to announce that we are continuing our focus on supporting British growers and the UK industry in general, as we have just increased our range of Red Tractor-assured lines to over 100, including fresh fruit, vegetables, salads and dairy, making it even easier for our customers to market UK-grown, quality-assured produce to their consumers.'
PRODUCE FOCUS: CELERY AND LETTUCE
From May through to October Len Wright is a key Red Tractor grower of celery and wholehead lettuce, located in Tarleton Moss in Lancashire, an area known for its fertile peaty soils.
Wright (below) began growing lettuce and celery on two acres of land in 1965. Since then, the farm has grown considerably, and today, he continues to grow over 1,000 acres of celery, lettuce, Chinese leaves and Little Gem lettuce with his son Chris, supported by a co-operative of local growers.
In addition, the business, Len Wright Salads, provides a support base for its community of local growers, ensuring technical advice, quality assurance and traceability, alongside packing and distribution at its purpose-built distribution site.
Freshness and quality is at the forefront of the operation, and all produce is grown to self-imposed high standards under the strapline 'anything fresher is still growing'.
Wright is passionate about the environment and complies with standards set by the Soil Association, Assured Produce, LEAF and BRC throughout his entire operation. Pests and diseases are controlled with minimal input by making regular crop assessments and by using beneficial insects in place of pesticides where possible.
He also follows the principles of Integrated Farm Management, which aim to balance responsible resource management, animal welfare, care of the countryside and economic viability for the benefit of the local environment.
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