A Sainsbury spokesman said: “The forthcoming EU changes to food labelling regulations have led us to review and prioritise the information we put on our packaging. Customers have told us that too many logos on pack can be confusing, so whilst we will continue to adhere to, and exceed, the Red Tractor standard, we will no longer be using their logo.”
Extremely disappointing
But the organisation behind the Red Tractor logo, the National Farmers Union (NFU) slammed the decision. It’s director of corporate affairs Tom Hind said: “This is extremely disappointing news to farmers who take pride in the Red Tractor logo as a marque of the good standards of animal welfare, environmental protection and traceability to which they produce.”
Products bearing the logo help reassure consumers that what they are buying has been independently inspected to accredited standards from farm to fork, he said. “The Red Tractor now appears on £12bn worth of retail sales each year, making it the most widely used assurance logo within the UK market. It is the benchmark that many consumers actively look for when deciding what to buy.”
End confusion
Contrary to Sainsbury’s claim that consumers found the logo confusing, Hind said it helped to end confusion among consumers over the origin of products, not just on fresh meat, but also dairy, processed meat products and fresh produce.
“The Red Tractor is the only guarantee that a product labelled as British is British right through the chain,” said Hind.
He added: “Following discussions with Sainsbury, we are reassured that the company will continue to use Red Tractor standards and supply chain validation process as the foundation for its ambitious UK sourcing plans.”
Meanwhile, the retailer stressed its commitment to backing British produce. “We’re proud of Sainsbury’s heritage of supporting British farming, working with over 4,500 farmers and growers across the UK, clearly labelling British products on our packaging,” said the spokesman.
“We remain committed to investing in British farmers and growers, with our ambition to double the amount of British food we sell by the year 2020.”
