Red Tractor facts

18th June 2010, 8:19am

Here are some facts and figures to coincide with Red Tractor Week, which runs from 14-20 June.

Red Tractor Week is an effective communication platform for talking to consumers about how and where their food is produced. 

Red Tractor Week helps food businesses demonstrate their commitment to supplying quality assured products and shows their support for great farming.  

High profile supporters include the NFU, AHDB, Massey Ferguson, Wells and Youngs and the Three Counties Showground. 

Major retailers, particularly Tesco and brands such as Silverspoon and Country Life are supporting Red Tractor Week. 

Red Tractor foodservice, packing and processing companies including Sodexo and Brakes have also demonstrated their commitment to Red Tractor Week. 

Red Tractor helps demonstrate the high standards followed by producers and gives consumers the assurance they need that the food they are buying meets strict standards of food safety, animal welfare and environmental protection with a guarantee of origin. 

The flag in the Red Tractor logo guarantees the origin of the food. So the Union Jack flag tells you that the product has been farmed, processed and packed in the UK. 

The Red Tractor logo provides transparency for consumers and differentiates quality assured products. 

Red Tractor standards are maintained all the way from farm to pack. All Red Tractor farmers, processors and packers are regularly inspected by independent experts who conduct thousands of audits each year. 

AFS is owned by all links in the UK food chain from farmers to retailers. 

The Board of AFS includes respected scientists, prominent academics and experienced professionals from the fields of veterinary science, farming, animal welfare, food processing, retailing and trading standards. 

Red Tractor covers a wide range of food and drink including meat, vegetables, fruit, salads, milk, cheese, butter, sugar, beer and flour. 

The Red Tractor logo now features on products with an annual retail sales value of £10 billion. All major retailers and more than 500 leading companies use the logo. 

Standards for all sectors (e.g. chicken, dairy, vegetables etc.) have been developed and are regularly revised by some of the top industry experts to ensure that food safety, animal welfare and environmental standards are maintained appropriately and continually reflect consumer demand. 

For Food businesses, Red Tractor reinforces their messaging to customers about the importance of assured quality, traceable, food that meets high standards of due diligence.

Greene King, the only brewer to have Red Tractor accreditation for all its beers.

Related Articles:

• 07 Oct 2010 - Primary school pupil from Mortlake wins Red Tractor competition
• 06 Oct 2010 - Red Tractor appoints new board members
• 22 Jun 2010 - Contract caterer Sodexo secures another Red Tractor accreditation
• 20 May 2010 - Chefs urged to take part in Red Tractor Week competition

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