UK’s Red Tractor to launch new chicken welfare labels

The UK’s Red Tractor Food Assurance is set to launch a new range of labels for chicken products to indicate how the product has been manufactured.

By introducing the new labels, the organisation aims to simplify and help consumers while purchasing food and drink products.

Red Tractor CEO Jim Moseley said: “Grounded in the values of the Red Tractor scheme – animal welfare, food safety, traceability and environmental protection – this is an important broadening of the scheme which for 20 years has, and continues to, transform and build trust in British farming and food quality.

“Over the last 18 months, we have been focused on how we can provide greater choice and clarity for those shoppers and diners who are looking to buy British produce grown and reared to recognised production methods, with the added confidence that it’s been checked every step of the way from farm to pack.”

The organisation also added that the new labels would enable UK’s farmers to sell their products through the Red Tractor scheme, irrespective of their farming method.

Red Tractor further added that it has carried out extensive research in the UK, as well on a global scale to develop the labelling system for the additional standards modules.

The new labels will have orange, purple and green colours.

Orange indicates free-range chicken, purple indicates enhanced welfare for chicken, and green represents organic.

The new range will be rolled out across foodservice and retail segment in the UK market over the next 12 months.

The Enhanced Welfare for chicken will be the first module that will be rolled out by the organisation and is currently available at selected retail outlets.

Red Tractor claims that the module was developed by consulting international industry experts, producers and key stakeholders in retail and foodservice sectors.

Going forward, Red Tractor will continue to study which sectors would benefit from this modular approach.