Click here to read about our standards Why and when was Assured Food Standards established?
AFS was established in the spring of 2000, and the Red Tractor was launched in the summer of the same year. At that time the public were faced with a plethora of food standards and labels. AFS and the Red Tractor mark were set up to help harmonise the approach to standard setting and inspection throughout the supply chain and to give the public a mark of quality, safe, affordable food that they could recognise and trust.
We believe that the Red Tractor has a major role to play in the future of food and farming – by promoting recognition of professionally produced assured food, and by boosting the reputation of food production in the UK.
We do this by first establishing the benchmark for production standards and then carrying out regular and robust inspections to ensure that producers, processors and other operators continually meet those standards.
Back to top AFS is an independent, not-for-profit organisation. So who owns, finances and runs it?
AFS is a small organisation, and its administrative costs are met by assurance fees and licence payments from farmers and food companies.
We are owned by the entire food industry but we operate independently on a not-for-profit basis, with an independent chairman in charge of our affairs. This enables us to benefit from a wide range of experience and expertise without giving any one organisation or link in the supply chain undue influence.
The interests represented on our board relate to each of the key links in the food chain, with representatives of the National Farmers’ Union, the Ulster Farmers’ Union, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, Dairy UK and the British Retail Consortium. The Food and Drink Federation provides valued input. The Board also includes independent experts – prominent academics and specialist scientists, plus professionals representing consumers, veterinary science and the environment.
Back to top How does AFS set standards for so many different types of food?
To establish standards, AFS forms a committee of experts on the topic, bringing different perspectives from various parts of the industry such as farming, processing and retailing, underpinned with independent academic and scientific expertise. Each committee has detailed knowledge of the legislation relating to the topic it is dealing with.
Together with feedback from consumers about their concerns and priorities, the information from our specialist committee forms the basis of a first-draft proposal. After in-depth consultation involving a wide range of expert scientific opinion, we finalise a set of standards that everyone within a sector is expected to follow if they wish to achieve Red Tractor status.
Back to top Do you only set standards for farms?
No. When it comes to livestock, we also set standards for animal transport, markets and feed supplies. And we have our own standards for meat processing plants. We also use other industry standards to make sure that any product carrying the Red Tractor logo has been processed and packed with due care for food safety and animal welfare at every critical link in the supply chain.
Unlike processors and packers, retailers don’t necessarily need to be licensed by us to sell Red Tractor products. If all their Red Tractor products are prepacked, the best control and inspection point is the packer’s factory rather than the shop. But if shops and supermarkets are selling Red Tractor-assured food ‘loose’ or from a ‘serve over’ counter, they need to be licensed to enable us to make sure that they use the logo correctly.
Back to top Why should I trust your standards, and how do you ensure that they are in tune with the latest science and the expectations of the public?
Our standards have been developed and refined over a number of years in consultation with scientists, academics and independent experts on issues such as food safety, animal health and welfare, crop protection and looking after the environment. A wide range of experience and expertise is represented on the AFS board, including specialists in veterinary medicine, animal welfare, microbiological food safety and environmental protection. We are committed to reviewing and updating our standards in the light of the latest scientific research, and to continuing to publish them in full for the public to read on this website.
To help us meet the expectations of the public, our board includes an experienced consumer representative whose job it is to champion consumer concerns and constantly challenge us to address consumer priorities. We pride ourselves on being very open with consumers about our standards. We also welcome scrutiny by and dialogue with organisations such as the Food Standards Agency.
Back to top Which assurance schemes are recognised by AFS?
Nowadays the ‘core’ schemes in six product sectors are all wholly owned by AFS. In addition, a number of schemes operating in parts of the UK or more limited product ranges are recognised as ‘equivalent’ and product from farms certified to these schemes is eligible to carry the Red Tractor logo.
AFS SCHEMES
| Scheme | Products Covered |
| Assured Combinable Crops Scheme (ACCS) | Cereals, oilseeds, pulses and sugar |
| Assured Produce (AP) | Fruit, vegetables and salad |
| Assured Chicken Production (ACP) | Chicken |
| Assured British Pigs (ABP) | Pig meat |
| Assured Dairy Farms (ADF) | Milk |
| Assured British Meat (ABM) | Beef and lamb |
OTHER SCHEMES
| Scheme | Products Covered |
| Farm Assured Welsh Livestock (FAWL) | Beef and Lamb |
| Northern Ireland Farm Quality Assurance Scheme (NIFQAS) | Beef and Lamb |
| Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) | Beef and Lamb |
| Genesis Quality Assurance (GQA) | Arable crops, beef, lamb, dairy, pigs |
| Soil Association Farm Assured (SAFA) | Beef, sheep, cereals |
| Quality British Turkey (QBT) | Turkey |
Back to top How do I know where Red Tractor food and drink comes from?
More and more people are looking to buy locally produced food to support farmers and reduce the ‘food miles’ associated with transporting food over long distances. But identifying where food comes from can be difficult and labels can sometimes be misleading. Does the origin label tell you where the food was farmed or where it was processed? At AFS we have always had very clear rules on origin marks. The Union flag in the Red Tractor logo provides an independently verified consumer guarantee that the product has come from a UK farm. No doubts, no compromise.
Back to top Does AFS only deal with managing the Red Tractor mark?
Far from it. AFS also provides a valuable forum for liaison between assurance schemes, the food assurance community and interested parties inside and outside the food industry, including the Government and government agencies.
While managing the Red Tractor mark is a large part of our mandate, we are also very committed to promoting high standards and comprehensive assurance throughout the food supply chain. We only give our seal of approval to food that has been produced to assured standards at every critical step.
Back to top Why did you choose the Red Tractor as your symbol, and why did the logo change in 2005?
A red tractor was chosen because it is a simple, eye-catching image that people readily associate with farming. By the late 1990s there were so many different ‘farm assured’ claims and logos on food packs that it was becoming difficult for shoppers to make sense of them. When asked what they really wanted to cut through the confusion, consumers demanded a definitive, easy-to-spot symbol to indicate that farms had been independently inspected to ensure compliance with basic quality, safety, environmental and animal welfare standards.
In 2005 our Red Tractor logo was redesigned to replace the words ‘British farm standard’ with ‘Assured Food Standards’. The change in wording reflects how the remit of the Red Tractor has widened. Today it’s not only about standards on the farm but also about how hygiene, food safety and quality are maintained through the processing and packing of food products. It’s about total assurance for the consumer from farm to pack.
The new design also incorporated the indication of origin with the flag device. The addition of the flag aims to help make it easier for shoppers to spot where their food really comes from. It symbolises that our tracing of ingredients and independent inspection have verified where the product has been farmed.When you see the Union Flag in the logo, you can be certain that that food or drink has come from farms in the UK.
Back to top Is the logo licensed?
Yes. The Red Tractor is protected by trademark, and only companies that meet our standards are authorised to use it. Its use on packaging is controlled via a system of licences and independent inspections administered by Assured Food Standards (AFS).
Back to top How do you ensure that the Red Tractor logo is only used on the correct products?
The Red Tractor logo can only be used to label ingredients from farmers, growers and food processors that have been inspected and certified to the standards we specify. To make sure this happens, we only allow the use of the Red Tractor logo under licence.
Our licensing applies to anyone in the food supply chain who puts the Red Tractor logo on a food or food product. This could be a salad grower that has its own packing operation on the farm, or a meat business that receives fresh, farm-assured meat from its suppliers for cutting and packing.
In signing our licence agreement, packers undertake only to put the Red Tractor logo on products eligible to carry it. They also agree to some arrangements that help us to validate that they are using the logo appropriately. They must keep records of incoming raw materials and production batches to allow full traceability back to the farms of origin. They must also agree that AFS can visit their premises to examine these records and check their systems.
Using this right of access, AFS manages a comprehensive inspection programme to underpin the integrity of the Red Tractor logo. This work is done for us by CMi, SAI Global and the Scottish Agricultural College, all of which have particular skills in different industry sectors. In the interests of efficiency these three audit bodies are asked to combine, where possible, our Red Tractor traceability audits with other work they do at the same facility. When assigning Red Tractor audits we select the inspection organisation that will be best able to combine its inspection with other work on the same site.
Back to top How do things work with multi-ingredient products – do they need to contain only Red Tractor certified ingredients to carry the logo?
Multi-ingredient products must contain at least 95% Red Tractor certified ingredients to be labelled as Red Tractor products. We permit up to 5% non-Red Tractor ingredients to allow for minor ingredients such as seasoning, herbs and spices.
Back to top Some of the ingredients of my product are not available from assured sources, but I’d still like to highlight the fact that the main ingredient is Red Tractor assured. How can I do this?
We will allow processors to use the logo to highlight that the main ingredient is produced to Red Tractor standards, for example the pork in a sausage or the potato in a potato salad. A few conditions apply:
- There must be a note on the label to make it clear that the logo refers to one ingredient and not the entire product. This could be one simple word next to the logo naming the ingredient. Design criteria are available from AFS.
- The named ingredient must comprise at least 65% of the food.
- The named ingredient must meet the normal assurance criteria.
- All of the named ingredient must be assured (for example all the pork ingredients of the sausage must be from assured sources). It is not acceptable for some of the pork to be assured – enough to meet the 65% criterion – but topped up with other pork ingredients from non-assured sources.
Back to top How do you deal with farmers and food companies that fall short of the standards?
Some businesses pass our inspections with flying colours. In other cases the inspector might find some points on which the standards are not met, and these must be put right.
Where standards are not met, the business will be carefully assessed by the certification body. If the shortcomings identified are of a minor nature and they can be put right relatively quickly, the producer concerned will not lose our certification. But an action plan will be agreed with the certification body to correct things within an agreed timescale. Every problem must be put right in each inspection cycle.
There may be other situations where the problems are more significant. In these cases a farm assurance certificate can be suspended until the business has rectified them. If things are not corrected in a reasonable time then the certificate can be withdrawn completely.
Back to top How do you deal with companies that use the Red Tractor logo incorrectly?
If a licensee is misusing the Red Tractor logo, we can withdraw the licence and stop the company from using the logo. If a customer of the company concerned requires that the Red Tractor should appear on the label, withdrawal of a licence may jeopardise supply contracts – a strong incentive for our licensees to use the logo appropriately.
If someone who is not licensed by AFS is using the logo, we can demand that they stop doing so. The logo is a Registered Trade Mark, and we don’t hesitate to take legal action to stop unauthorised use.
Back to top What action do you take on complaints?
The Red Tractor logo appears on food and drink worth over £7.5 billion each year. The sheer scale of this operation means that just occasionally a mistake might be made, despite the rigorous checks we make. If anyone finds the Red Tractor logo on a product that he or she suspects should not carry it, we will be very keen to hear about it. We will investigate the complaint, and we will generally instigate an inspection of the packer. In the scale of things we receive very few complaints. Almost every complaint of mislabelling that we have investigated has been caused by human error, not by deliberate fraud.
Back to top How many companies are licensed to use the mark on their food?
There are more than 78,000 Red Tractor farmers in the UK, and most sell their produce to one or more of the 400 processors and packers licensed to use the Red Tractor on their packaging. There are Red Tractor food companies of all sizes, from a family-run herb producer to major international meat and dairy processors.
Back to top How is the Red Tractor being promoted to the public?
AFS uses a broad range of communication tools to take the Red Tractor message to consumers. For example, AFS works with food companies and retailers to ensure that the Red Tractor logo is displayed on packaging and, when possible, at point of sale.
The Red Tractor logo is also mainly promoted via a co-ordinated programme of public relations work and media features on TV, radio, in the daily national and regional press, and in consumer lifestyle magazines.
Among the events we use to get our message across we have organised are our very own national Red Tractor Week and we have featured at the BBC Good Food Show, where we stage cookery demonstrations using Red Tractor foods and involving celebrity chefs such as James Martin and Brian Turner.
The Red Tractor Media Information Service can be contacted on 0845 456 6424 or email
press@redtractor.org.uk.
I have seen the Red Tractor logo on Halal chicken & lamb. What does this mean?
It means that all aspects of the production of the poultry and lamb are consistent with the high standards of both the Halal rules and those of the Red Tractor scheme. These include pre-stunning and other humane methods of slaughter. For more information on our standards please
click here.