The Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) has relaunched its multi-platform advertising campaign, 'Good Honest Food', inviting consumers to learn more about the farm-to-fork journey of Northern Ireland Farm Quality Assured (NIFQA) beef and lamb.
The 'travelogue style' campaign sees local chef James Devine embark on a journey around Northern Ireland to uncover the truth about the health, environmental and sustainable credentials of NIFQA beef and lamb. The campaign will run across TV, radio, outdoor and digital platforms.
LMC interim chief executive Colin Smith said: "The Good Honest Food campaign is founded on independently reviewed, scientific research that is discussed with and communicated by the experts. The campaign is built around four key messages: health and nutrition, care for the environment, responsible beef farming and creating enjoyable dishes from different cuts of beef."
Throughout the campaign, Dr. Steven Morrison, head of sustainable livestock production at AFBI Hillsborough and Dr. Ruth Price, clinical trials manager in the School of Biomedical Sciences at Ulster University will answer any questions consumers may have relating to beef and lamb production and health and nutrition.
Smith continued: "Previous bursts of the campaign resonated well with NI consumers. Independent tracking research has confirmed consumers who had seen the campaign were significantly more likely to purchase NIFQA beef and lamb. Consumer eating habits have remained relatively stable over the past five years and our most recent research highlights that currently more than 90% of consumers report to eat beef.
“Positive feedback on lamb was also forthcoming. The Commission is pleased that year-on-year more consumers report to look for the FQAS logo when purchasing lamb, with a marked 20 percentage point increase since 2020.”
Highlighting the benefits of red meat
LMC said that the opening tranche of the campaign will showcase all that is good about beef with the focus shifting to lamb in the latter part of the burst. Smith stated that this will allow for "optimum promotion of both red meats".
He said: "Beef is a staple part of a healthy balanced diet for many consumers, and we will showcase its versatility over the coming weeks, outlining different cuts and highlighting it as a red meat accessible at a variety of price points.
“Strategically it makes absolute sense to bring lamb into the spotlight in the run up to a number of well recognised celebrations, notably, St Patrick’s Day, Easter and Mothers’ Day. Lamb is a popular choice for get-togethers with family and friends.
"So, whether the star dish is a roast leg of lamb, or silverside of beef we want to ensure consumers have access to recipes and information which enables them to make informed dietary choices, and ultimately enjoy tasty, high quality red meat.”
The campaign is set to run until the end of March 2024, with Smith expecting "high levels" of consumer reach on the back of the advertising slots.
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
