Red Tractor Assurance will have its own national television advertising campaign later this year for the first time in its history.
The announcement follows a comprehensive market research exercise looking at what primary shoppers know about the on-pack logo.
It highlighted that shoppers were twice as likely to purchase a Red Tractor product if they understood more about the standards behind it.
Chief executive Jim Moseley said: “The new campaign will focus on the reassurance that Red Tractor brings to consumers through its rigorous checks against the high standards of British agriculture.”
Spearheaded by the television advert, the campaign will be synchronised and reinforced across magazines, on-demand video, websites and social media channels.
The exact dates of when the campaign will air are yet to be confirmed, but more details will emerge in the coming months.
Brexit has brought the future of UK food and farming into sharp focus.
With the outcome of trade deals and tariffs yet to be decided, it is possible that domestic farm-assured produce could come under even more pressure from imported food on the supermarket shelves.
Differentiating a UK product from an import in terms of its production standards, origin, traceability and safety have never been more important, Mr Moseley said.
“Red Tractor has a very broad consumer following, from busy parents to time-rich foodies, so our campaign will launch with national TV to achieve the greatest reach and awareness with our consumers.
“We need more shoppers to know more about the food they are buying to increase active sourcing of assured food.”
Red Tractor has never had its own TV campaign before, and publicly raising the profile of it will spark even closer scrutiny of the scheme.
So-called ‘exposes’ which paint a negative picture of assured food production – particularly in the livestock sectors – are becoming a common tactic which Moseley has warned his members to be wary of.
“The positive reputation of British farming is well deserved, built on decades of public trust.
“However, one negative story about a farm that is not complying to assurance standards 365 days a year can quickly spread to millions of consumers and undermine that trust.
“Now is the time for every member to do their bit and protect the integrity of the logo.”
The consumer research found that:
– 80% of primary UK shoppers want to support British farmers
– 69% are aware of the Red Tractor on-pack logo
– 58% say they are positiviely influenced by the logo
– 30% would trade up to a Red Tractor product if they saw the logo