Farm levy body AHDB is preparing to relaunch its successful We Eat Balanced meat and dairy TV advertising campaign in January.
The campaign first ran in January this year to coincide with Veganuary – an initiative which encourages people to adopt a vegan diet for the month of January.
It aims to highlight the role meat and dairy from the UK play in a balanced and sustainable diet, with a focus on highlighting both food groups as a natural source of vitamin B12.
The TV advert, which will be broadcast on Channel 4, ITV and Sky as well as on-demand services, features an inquisitive little girl named Nancy and her grandad.
AHDB said the campaign website has also been revamped to include personal stories from farmers across the UK, and promotional material will be displayed in supermarket meat and dairy aisles.
“Our farmers have a great story to tell but have struggled in the past to get them in front of consumers, leading many to become detached from the food they eat, how it is produced and how that fits into protecting the environment,” said AHDB director of marketing, Liam Byrne.
He said this had led the way for more “misinformation and false truths” – a problem exacerbated by social media.
“The We Eat Balanced campaign seeks to reconnect consumers with their food and demonstrates that if you’d like to make small positive changes for the better, then sourcing your meat and dairy from the UK will mean you’re buying a product with a lower carbon footprint, and produced to some of the highest production standards in the world,” added Mr Byrne.
AHDB data after the first campaign showed a 6% increase in the number of consumers in the target audience who felt red meat could form part of a healthy, balanced diet, and a 9% increase in those who felt the same about dairy.
The campaign was also the subject of an investigation after more than 487 complaints were made, including submissions from the Vegan Society and Compassion in World Farming UK, to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
The complainants said the campaign adverts were misleading because they implied that consumption of meat and dairy was required in order to eat a healthy, balanced diet, and to obtain vitamin B12.
They also said the adverts “misleadingly implied” that livestock used for meat in the UK were typically outdoor-grazed and had a minimal environmental impact.
The ASA rejected the complaints and AHDB described the agency’s decision as a “landmark ruling” for British farmers.