Freedom Food seeing record numbers of new members

Pork producers lead the way in a huge Freedom Food membership surge during the summer, which reflects the continued boom in the British pig market and the increasing importance of ethical sourcing to consumers.

This follows on from the news earlier in the summer - as highlighted in Focus’ July issue – that overall growth and spending on Freedom Food pre-packed pork produce rose 64% within the last year, with sales up over £18 million to match.

The increase in demand runs in parallel with the growth in the Freedom Food products available in supermarkets – and the signs are that this demand will continue to rise as more consumers insist on better welfare and sourcing during their regular supermarket shop.

To match that demand, producers have been quick to recognise the opportunity to apply to join the Freedom Food scheme and help continue the increase in higher welfare produce available.

“During a typical month, Freedom Food would normally expect an average of 10 new member applications, so the record figure of 65 in July 2010 is really encouraging,” says the scheme’s membership marketing manager Liam Kurzeja. “It shows the result of all the hard work in raising the awareness of what Freedom Food offers producers and consumers.”

The positive news comes less than 18 months after separate campaigns were launched by the RSPCA (‘Rooting for Pigs’) and Jamie Oliver (‘Jamie Saves Our Bacon’ on Channel 4) to help improve pig welfare.