What is assurance and why is it important?
How does this work?
Why the Red Tractor mark?
Who started the Red Tractor scheme?
Who runs the Red Tractor scheme?
What does Assured Food Standards do?
What are the standards behind the Red Tractor mark?
Are the standards only about assurance on the farm?
How can we trust the inspections?
How do I know where Red Tractor food comes from?
How is the Red Tractor mark controlled?
How many companies are currently allowed to use the mark on their food?
Where can I buy Red Tractor food?
What is assurance and why is it important?
The Red Tractor is a food assurance scheme which covers production standards developed by experts on safety, hygiene, animal welfare and the environment amongst other things.
We all want to know that the food we are buying is safe and this only comes from knowing where the raw ingredients come from and the standards to which they are produced, which is why all suppliers in the Red Tractor food chain are inspected and certified by an independent professional body. The Red Tractor certifies that food has been produced to independently inspected standards right across the food chain – from farm to pack.
How does this work?
For many years, British farmers have been producing food to standards set out by farm assurance schemes. These cover the main food groups including: chicken, pork, lamb, beef, turkey, diary, fruit and vegetables, cereals and sugar beet. Red Tractor goes beyond assurance at the farm to include every critical stage through to the packer and all food is traceable all the way back to the farms.
All aspects of the food production process are monitored from safety, hygiene and animal welfare to responsible management of pesticides and waste.
Why the Red Tractor mark?
By the late 1990s there were so many different 'food assured' claims and logos on food packs that it was becoming difficult for shoppers to make sense of them. So British consumers were asked what assurances they really wanted and they asked for a definitive, easy-to-spot symbol of assurance that food had been farmed and produced to independently inspected standards.
Who started the Red Tractor scheme?
The Red Tractor scheme started by UK farmers, food producers and retailers working together to make sure the the food that you buy meets the standards that you expect for you and your family. The scheme was launched by the Prime Minister on 13 June 2000.
Who runs the Red Tractor scheme?
Assured Food Standards (AFS) is the independent not-for-profit organisation set up to manage the Red Tractor scheme. Owned by the food chain bodies, farmers unions, food processing trade bodies and retailer organisations, AFS represents these diverse interests and is not led by any one dominant interest.
What does Assured Food Standards do?
AFS sets the assurance standards that apply to the farm assurance schemes and to different links in the food chain. They actively manage the certification bodies that police those standards. At the point of packaging they define the conditions for the Red Tractor mark and licence the packers who display it on their packs to ensure that the Red Tractor is only ever seen on food that is qualified to carry it.
More about Assured Food Standards.
What are the standards behind the Red Tractor mark?
The Red Tractor can only be used on food that has been produced, packed, stored and transported to Red Tractor standards. The standards in all farming sectors (such as chicken, dairy or vegetables) have been agreed by a panel of experts to ensure that the food is safe and that the animals are well treated.
Click here to read more about Red Tractor standards.
Are the standards only about assurance on the farm?
No. There are standards for how animals are handled during transport; standards for bulk grain storage; standards for animal feed and food factories, and standards for all other critical steps in the food chain. An expert, independent inspector audits every Red Tractor business: it's why the Red Tractor is Britain's leading mark for professional food production every step of the way.
How can we trust the inspections?
All of the Red Tractor assurance schemes operate to the international standard ISO Guide 65, which is the European Standard EN45011. This guarantees that the independent inspectors are properly trained and sufficiently experienced. In all there are over 450 inspectors working on the Red Tractor scheme and they conduct over 60,000 inspections a year.
How do I know where Red Tractor food comes from?
By law, most food must be labelled with its country of origin on the label although this is not always easy to find. To make things easier we have included a flag in the Red Tractor logo. If you see the Union flag on the Red Tractor logo, you will know that it is home-grown. That is, the food has been produced and packed in the United Kingdom.
How is the Red Tractor mark controlled?
The Red Tractor is protected by trademark and only approved packers can use the logo. Food businesses must be licensed by Assured Food Standards (AFS) before they can use the logo. And the licensing rules give us the right to check packers and their supply chain to make sure that the logo is only appearing on food that meets the high standards.
How many companies are currently allowed to use the mark on their food?
There are currently over 78,000 Red Tractor farmers in the UK, and they sell their food to one of 350 Red Tractor packers licensed to use the Red Tractor on their packaging. Food companies of all sizes, from a family-run salad grower to large dairy processors, use the mark.
Where can I buy Red Tractor food?
Red Tractor food is available from all the major supermarkets. You will find it on supermarket own brands and products like Countrylife butter, cheese and milk, Silver Spoon sugar and Allinsons flour.