Promoting British food
Background
Sourcing locally-grown, seasonal produce from the UK not only supports British farmers and producers, it also helps reduce food miles and the associated carbon emissions.
Action
Brakes was the first foodservice company to introduce meat which carries the Red Tractor logo from Assured Food Standards – a guarantee that produce comes from local farms that meet high standards of food safety, environmental protection and animal welfare.
The business is also closely involved in the National Farmers’ Union ‘Why Farming Matters’ campaign and works with The Climate Group and DEFRA on the ‘Eat Seasonably’ programme. Brakes experts have also advised the 2012 Olympic Committee on sourcing British produce for the Games
Brakes also supports the English Farming & Food Partnerships (EFFP) and DEFRA on the roll-out of the ‘Food 2030’ strategy and is heavily involved in the annual ‘British Food Fortnight’.
Outcome
Brakes now sells almost 300 Red Tractor products, including produce, meat, poultry and dairy.
Prime Meats, Brakes speciality butcher, now offers 65% of its range from British farmers. This includes the best of British from noted farmers such as John Thomas who rears award winning beef cattle at Woodmore Farm near Chirbury and Neil and Lynda Perkins whose Welsh lamb is reared on Dinas Island Farm in Pembrokeshire.
Brakes supports the only Cornish boat landing line-caught Albacore Tuna and its British Skippers Scheme supports 30 UK RFS accredited vessels, allowing selected customers to name the catching vessels on their menus.
