The NFU has said it will continue to push retail giant Sainsbury’s to put the Red Tractor logo back onto its food packaging.
The union’s chief food chain adviser, Ruth Edge, made the remarks when giving evidence to MPs on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee last week (January 23).
The committee is currently carrying out an inquiry into how British food and drink is promoted.
Sainsbury’s made the controversial decision to ditch the logo in 2012, highlighting customer concerns about a ‘confusing’ number of symbols on its packaging, but the supermarket continues to use Red Tractor standards as a baseline for its products.
Mrs Edge said: “They wanted Sainsbury’s to be the standout brand and for their consumers to affiliate with that rather than other external bodies.
“It is definitely the NFU’s role and Red Tractor’s role to continue to lobby those businesses with the hope of bringing the logo back into use.
“What we have really got to do is work together to give them a reason to believe again, to give them reasons why they need to come back in.”
Jim Moseley, Red Tractor chief executive, was also giving evidence to the committee.
Campaign
He pointed to the recent Red Tractor advertising campaign which has improved shopper awareness of the brand as a first step to getting the logo back onto Sainsbury’s packs.
“Anywhere we put our logo, whether it is on a retailer’s pack or a restaurant menu, it has to add value to that parent brand, and at the moment, in Sainsbury’s view, they do not think it is necessarily adding that value to the Sainsbury’s brand,” he said.
“The more work we can do to educate consumers, the more interesting it will become for Sainsbury’s to put it on.”