UK dairy firm Fayrefield Foods is launching a cheddar brand that features the RSPCA’s Freedom Food scheme logo, prescribing high welfare standards for farm animals.
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Spoilt Cow mature cheddar is made with milk from cows reared on Freedom Food approved Denhay Farm in West Dorset, and comes in light of growing demand for foods that reflect animal welfare.
A Freedom Food report found that 67% of consumers think animal welfare is an important issue, while over 50% of the population make at least one or two purchase decisions as a result of their attitude to animal welfare issues.
Patrick Brunt of Fayrefield Foods told just-food this is an issue that has been building for some time. “Consumers are now becoming more aware of everything that happens to their food further down the production line.
“What people actually say doesn’t always relate to what they do in terms of buying with the welfare of the animal in mind, but this may be because it is slightly more expensive. Yet there are enough people buying free range for it to become more economically viable.”
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By GlobalDataThe Co-operative Ethical Consumerism Report 2007 confirms household expenditure on ethical goods and services has almost doubled in the past five years. The report shows that last year, on average, every household in the UK spent GBP664 (US$1,303) in line with their ethical values compared with just GBP366 in 2002, an increase of 81%.
Chris Swire, Fayrefield Foods’ marketing director, said: “It is important that we take an active role in the welfare of the animals, whenever possible, as well as taking into account the growing importance of traceability for consumers. Our Spoilt Cow mature cheddar is setting a benchmark for the dairy industry.”
Brunt added that boosting the number of dairy products using the Freedom Food logo is a problem. “We are working with other dairies to try and bring them into working with Freedom Foods but there is the problem that there isn’t enough production in the country to carry it out on a larger scale so for us to do this in dairy is very rare.”
Spoilt Cow will be available from a selection of leading supermarkets in the spring.
