One in three shoppers now recognise the RSPCA’s ethical food label RSPCA Assured - previously Freedom Food – a new survey has revealed.
Atomik Research carried out a survey of 2,000 adults in June 2016 to measure awareness of RSPCA Assured. An increase of 120% in consumer recognition has been achieved since the label was first launched in May 2015. It has risen from 15% to 33%.
The figure increases to 41% awareness amongst RSPCA Assured’s target market of young professionals and families, representing a 116% increase (from 19% in May 2015).
The amount of food carrying the Freedom Food/RSPCA Assured label increased approximately 16% between 2014 and 2015 and is forecasted to increase a further 23% by the end of 2016, compared to 2015.
Liam Kurzeja, marketing manager for RSPCA Assured, commented: “I think the result of our polling is testament to the fact we’ve got our proposition right. We’re confident awareness will continue to grow and RSPCA Assured will firmly establish itself as the only label to choose, if you care about farm animal welfare.”
Currently more than a quarter of all UK pig production is farmed to RSPCA welfare standards, meaning that all aspects of the pig’s life has been covered by the RSPCA’s welfare standards including on farm, in transport and at the abattoir.
The increase in recognition of the new label follows a yearlong campaign to boost awareness which included seasonal bursts of TV, online, and Facebook advertising. Further advertising is planned this year and in 2017.
Meanwhile RSPCA Assured has also announced 120 new product lines since the label first hit supermarket shelves last year.
These include new lines in Aldi, Co-op, Iceland, Lidl, Ocado and Sainsbury’s, bringing the total number of RSPCA Assured products in retail to more than 1,000.
RSPCA Assured estimates that the amount of labelled food could increase by as much as 200% by 2020 due to an increase in consumer demand.
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.
