We Eat Balanced to champion ‘British’ meat and dairy after rule change

We Eat Balanced to champion ‘British’ meat and dairy after rule change

The term ‘British’ will be included in an Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) marketing campaign for the first time, when We Eat Balanced returns on 8 September.

The highly acclaimed campaign is back this autumn to reinforce the importance of British Meat and Dairy in helping to form part of a healthy and sustainable diet.  

AHDB had previously been restricted from using ‘British’ as the primary message because of EU State Aid Rules. However, earlier this year guidance on the new UK rules, as part of The Subsidy Control Act, was published, opening the way for this change. 

Running from 8 September until 22 October, We Eat Balanced will not only aim to promote consumer awareness but also seek to foster long-term positive attitudes towards naturally produced British red meat and dairy. 

Future use of ‘British’ and the Union Flag will also be reflected in the Love Pork campaigns, including Feed the Family for Less. This will expand to export activities, where AHDB event stands will prominently feature the Union Flag. 

Both the World Trade Organisation subsidy rules and the new UK Subsidy Control Act do not prevent AHDB from utilising ‘British’ and the Union Flag in marketing campaigns, provided it does not disrupt international trade. This exciting opportunity allows AHDB to better showcase its support to levy payers and levy spend on promotional activities.  

Like previous bursts of the We Eat Balanced campaign, consumers will be educated on the numerous nutritional benefits of incorporating lean red meat and dairy to their diet. These benefits include vitamin B12, an essential nutrient not naturally present in foods of plant origin.  

Along with engaging assets, the campaign advert will feature on social media, in newspapers, video on demand and in the stores of eight major supermarkets, where on-pack stickers will include links to direct shoppers to healthy meat and dairy recipes. 

AHDB’s director of marketing, Liam Byrne, said: “We are incredibly proud that we have raised the bar yet again for 2023, with our industry leading We Eat Balanced campaign.  

“By incorporating the ‘British’ message, which we know is important to consumers, our aim is to highlight the exceptional taste and quality of our home-grown meat and dairy, whilst advocating its role in a nutritionally balanced and sustainable diet.  

“We believe that through these efforts we can foster a strong and enduring connection between consumers and our British farmers, who are so passionate about providing quality and sustainable food at every step of its journey, from field to fork.” 

AHDB Beef & Lamb board member, James Shouler, added: “It is encouraging to see a campaign equipping consumers with facts about a healthy diet that is also sustainably produced. The We Eat Balanced campaign is supporting the British farming industry at a time when there is a plethora of imbalanced information about nutrition and food production.”

Similarly, Dairy farmer Charles Goadby, shared his excitement: “It is good to learn that ‘British’ will be included in AHDB’s marketing campaigns and exports activities going forward. We need to continue sharing the positive stories of British farming through various channels.”

The We Eat Balanced campaign forms part of AHDB’s work in promoting and defending the reputation of red meat and dairy, as well as challenging misinformation.

Levy payers and farming influencers are encouraged to engage with the campaign through the website weeatbalanced.co.uk, as well as resources, assets, merchandise, Instagram and Facebook. Stay tuned for updates on the upcoming Feed the Family for Less with Pork campaign, which will also feature the British message and the Union Flag.