From corned beef to fillet steak, every single piece of beef that M&S sells has two things in common – it can be traced back to the farm and animal it came from AND it is British.

image expired

Marks & Spencer has launched a new, summer-long food marketing campaign that shines a spotlight on M&S’ unrivalled beef traceability standards.

As highlighted in the campaign, M&S is the only national retailer in the UK that can trace every piece of beef it sells – whether it’s in a prepared meal, a sandwich or a prime cut – all the way back to every farm and animal from which it is sourced.

The “We trace it, so you can trust it” campaign is backed by DNA sampling provided by Dublin-based tech company Identigen. Thousands of tests are carried out every year to check that M&S’ unique standards are being followed.

And in support of British farming, the ads also carry a Union Jack flag highlighting to customers that every piece of M&S beef is British.

Sharry Cramond, Food Marketing Director at M&S, said: “Since joining M&S I’ve been amazed at the stories behind our products. Our people go to extraordinary lengths to source the very best ingredients and products and we are not shy of using cutting-edge technology to guarantee our provenance. Our beef campaign is an important first step in shining a spotlight on our unrivalled food standards – because trusting the food we eat matters to our customers.”

Press and radio ads break today and kick off an extensive media campaign that will run throughout the summer. An interactive supply chain map showing every single farm that supplies M&S with beef launches next month. 

Luke Williamson, Executive Creative Director at M&S ad agency Grey London, said: “Provenance is such a powerful story for M&S. We’re excited to be launching this fresh campaign, it’s a bold message delivered in an integrated way that will leave customers in no doubt over where M&S beef comes from.”

“M&S uses DNA sampling to trace its beef back to every farm and animal. A sample is taken from every animal from every farm that supplies M&S and its suppliers. Thousands of tests are carried out every year on products taken at random from M&S stores and warehouses. The tests check that beef is moving through the supply chain – from farm, to abattoir to processor and to store – correctly and that M&S standards are being followed.”

Steve McLean, Head of Agriculture at Marks & Spencer, said: “We’re passionate about supporting British farming and working with our suppliers to invest in new technology and the best systems available. That gives us better traceability than anyone else in the market and, when it comes to beef, it means we know where every single animal was reared, how it was reared and how the beef moved through our supply chain.”

Customers can find out more at www.marksandspencer.com