Farm Standard logo could be introduced for catering outlets

Use of a new British Farm Standard mark for British-grown agricultural products could soon be extended to restaurants and other catering outlets.

The logo - a red and blue tractor - was launched in supermarkets last week across a range of foods from fruit and vegetables to fresh meat and poultry. It aims to highlight food produced under the British "farm assurance" schemes, which guarantee high levels of food hygiene, environmental protection and animal welfare.

A new company, Assured Food Standards, has been set up to administer and license the logo on behalf of these schemes, and its chief executive, David Clarke, says caterers will be approached next.

"We've done the launch," he says. "We need to now start thinking about the second level of this approach, which will almost certainly include the catering industry."

Clarke is keen to stress that caterers buying ingredients with the logo shouldn't assume it can then automatically be used on menus.

"Exactly under what circumstances we would allow caterers to put it on menus up front to their customers is something we're going to have to think about," he said.