After five successful years, Great British Beef Week 2016 will take place from 23rd April to 2nd May.
Beef Week kicks off on St George’s Day – and is designed to raise awareness of the quality and versatility of great British beef.
Organised by Ladies in Beef, this year the emphasis is on ‘beefing up your butty’, a cheeky celebration of sandwiches of which over 5.7 billion are eaten every year.
Research shows that the humble sandwich is increasingly becoming the meal of choice for time-pressed families.
The campaign will help consumers get the best from their beef, from creating a celebration roast for St George’s Day and using up their leftovers in a proper butty, to advising on the huge range of steaks that can be used to make a perfect sandwich.
It will be celebrated with events and activities around the country, run in conjunction with Great British Beef Week’s charity partner, the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (R.A.B.I.).
The face of the week is talented young butcher Sophie Cumber, who will be telling consumers to look out for the Red Tractor logo and encouraging them to visit their local butcher.
"I grew up on a beef and dairy farm. That, combined with my experience as a butcher, means I fully understand what goes into producing top-quality British beef," Sophie commented.
"As this year’s Great British Beef Week representative, I’ll be telling consumers to look out for the Red Tractor logo so that they know their meat is fully traceable from farm to fork and encouraging them to visit their local butcher."
Who stocks 100% British?
Shoppers are being reminded of the NFU’s online sourcing guide as the best way to find out who is backing British livestock farmers.
The shopping guide lists the sourcing policies of all the major retailers on their ‘own brand’ products.
It shows the Co-operative, Aldi, Lidl, M&S, Waitrose and Morrisons source 100% British beef across all lines while Tesco, Asda, and Sainsbury’s only source 100% British for their premium lines of beef.
Charles Sercombe, NFU livestock board chairman, said: "I’m delighted that we see the return of this annual event to promote British beef at a time when we’re seeing significant challenges for the sector as millions of pounds are being wiped off the value of the payment grids leaving many producers questioning the viability of the industry.
"We need initiatives like Great British Beef Week to raise awareness among shoppers of great British beef and to re-engage with consumers who continue to call for greater provenance and clearer labelling of the origin of the product."
