Freedom Food ditches logo
Freedom Food will shelve its existing blue and white logo next year in favour of a new and colourful “RSPCA Assured” logo, following consumer criticism.
Fewer than a quarter of consumers recognised the Freedom Food logo and what it stood for, according to research carried out by the charity to celebrate 20 years of the farm animal assurance scheme.
Research into the effectiveness of the logo was commissioned following last year’s McNair review into the success of the scheme as a whole.
More prominent logo
Duncan McNair, the London lawyer who authored the report, called for a more prominent logo in his assessment of Freedom Food.
“We checked that [suggestion] out with more research into what customers think about the logo,” Tom Vaughan, an RSPCA board member said.
“It was very clear that it was not eye-catching and misleading in the sense that many people thought it was a free-from food range, which was confusing.”
Freedom Food will now piggyback on the RSPCA’s identity, as the scheme has successfully done in Australia and New Zealand, Vaughan added.
Nearly 100% of the UK’s population were aware of the RSPCA, compared to less than a quarter who were aware of the Freedom Food logo, he said.
Sixth most recognised charity
The RSPCA was the sixth most recognised charity in the UK, with the number one spot going to Cancer Research, Vaughan added.
The rebranding will be supported by a media campaign that will cover television and print next year.
Freedom Food’s five year growth plan was also revealed at the same time and Jeremy Cooper, Freedom Food’s new ceo, said the organisation would become financially self-sufficient by 2019.
“Our main business objective for the next five years is to drive self-sufficiency and rely less on the RSPCA’s grant,” he said at Freedom Food’s 20th anniversary celebrations in London last night (September 10).
Consumers and businesses alike needed to be influenced by the organisation more, to ensure its message was strong enough, he added.
“We need to work with schools, catering colleges and with our retail partners as well as the likes of the National Farmers Union to do this.”
See the November issue of Food Manufacture to read Cooper’s first interview as the ceo of Freedom Food by subscribing here.
UK Farm assurance at a glance
- 1994 – Freedom Food launched
- 1998 – British Lion Quality Code of Practice for eggs launched
- 1999 – National Dairy Farm Assurance scheme launched
- 2000 – Farm Assured British Pigs rebranded as Assured British Pigs
- 2006 – National Dairy Farm Assurance Scheme rebranded as Assured Dairy Farms
- 2010 – Assured British Pigs, Chicken, Beef & Lamb rebranded as Red Tractor
- 2012 – Duck Assurance scheme brought under Red Tractor
- 2014 – Freedom Food adopts RSPCA rainbow trout standards
