This Friday, April 21, will mark the first ever national Red Tractor Day, launched this week with a little help from Tony Blair.
The Prime Minister is calling on shopper to actively look for the logo on UK-produced foods.
The Red Tractor was originally launched by Blair back in 2000, and now appears on £5 billion worth of food every year, accounting for around 60 per cent of own-brand food sold in supermarkets.
The PM will join the Red Tractor Day celebrations by paying tribute to the alliance of food producers and retailers who have supported the independent scheme and helped to raise standards.
According to Assured Food Standards, the independent not-for-profit organisation set up to manage the Red Tractor scheme, the British public wants more information about the provenance of their food and how it has been handled.
Colin Smith, chairman of Assured Food Standards, said: “The Red Tractor delivers rigorous standards, traceability and independent inspections at every stage of production. It brings together the nation's leading producers, processors and retailers behind one credible, transparent scheme. Our message to shoppers today is - go out and look for the Red Tractor mark."
As well as having the support of the Prime Minister, Red Tractor Day is backed by the country's leading supermarkets. 78,000 UK farmers are members of the Red Tractor assurance scheme, which was originally devised by the NFU to identify assured British food.
The scheme now covers every critical stage of the food chain, from farm to pack, spanning cultivation, animal welfare, food transport, processing and packing.
Over 70,000 inspections are carried out every year by independent experts to ensure that Red Tractor standards are upheld every step of the way.
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