AHDB Beef and Lamb has launched a revamped Quality Standard Mark (QSM) Scheme alongside a new team of ambassadors, including award winning chef Chris Wheeler and meat expert Karl Pendlebury.
Introducing a more modern and uniform branding across all QSM marketing materials and online, the revamp aims to drive growth in the QSM Beef and Lamb retail market and increase engagement with the supply chain, catering butchers and independent retailers.
Chef Chris Wheeler, along with expert butcher Jim McPhie, led an interactive cooking and butchery masterclass at the launch event held at Stoke Park hotel to highlight the benefits of specifying QSM Beef and Lamb.
Wheeler said: “At a time where consumers demand for quality, traceability and provenance is at a high, I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to represent the Quality Standard Mark which acts as a consumer guarantee across the retail and foodservice sectors. Competition is fierce so it’s great to have something that adds value and differentiates your offer.”
With a strong background in both food and farming, Pendlebury will be leading the revamp and looking to drive the consumer category for buying meats with quality assurance marks. Having previously worked at Asda, and as an auditor for assurance schemes such as Red Tractor, Karl brings extensive industry knowledge to the QSM role.
Pendlebury said: “Consumers are becoming more concerned about where their food comes from. There is a great opportunity for retailers and foodservice operators, such as Chris, to drive profits by stocking QSM Beef and Lamb and telling consumers about it.
“Factors like quality, taste, food safety and animal welfare are increasingly influencing consumer purchasing decisions, and consumers are looking for these assurances on both packaging and menus. The QSM Scheme is an easy way to give them what they want.”
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.
