Where did my steak come from.

[Old Boar]

I phoned Aldi again today. Young man who answered did not seem to have the query on his pooter but told me the animal had come from Newcastle. I cannot help being a tad suspicious that this info is correct, as they had not phoned me back at any stage. Hey ho.
RT are about to get my attention....

be afraid, be very afraid..

 

[Hummin-Cummins]

Any updates??

 

[Old Boar]

Will let you know when I hear something...

 

[Henarar]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1800908733268859

 

[Henarar]

https://www.facebook.com/redtractorfood/?fref=ts

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1800908733268859

https://www.facebook.com/redtractorfood/?fref=ts

 

[Henarar]

I posted a link to this thread on the RT FB page

 

[Steevo]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1800908733268859

I think what RT mean is that they are able to show you where your food comes from.



Admittedly they don't know which farm, or where it was.



But by buying Red Tractor produce, you can be 100% sure that the piece of meat you are eating has indeed come from A FARM!!

 

[Henarar]

But by buying Red Tractor produce, you can be 100% sure that the piece of meat you are eating has indeed come from A FARM!!

well whoopee do

 

[orchard]

I'm sure some of the positive comments on the FB page are either 'bots or agencies. The webs we weave...

– I like to barbique rib eye steaks and I only buy ones with the red tractor logo as it tells me that they are quality

https://m.facebook.com/peter.russell.39904

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

I posted a link to this thread on the RT FB page

Didn't see that

 

[RagnarHairybreeks]

As with most schemes you have to consider who it was designed to benefit. Not who it was sold as benefitting, but who it was designed to benefit.

There is absolutely no way that it shouldn't be easy to trace a whole cut of meat back from supermarket blister pack to an individual animal. You have to question though if that was ever the intention?

These days I supply materials to aero engine manufacturing and I guarantee that you could follow the entire process from the finished engine part flying over the Atlantic back to the supplied batch of raw metal ore.

Mince* or milk I can understand as being more difficult as it would have to be batched at some stage, but whole cuts? No excuses for that information not to be available on-line by typing in the code from the label on the packet.

*(In the case of Sainsbury's mince you'd also have to take into account the provenance of the 30% by weight of water that they ram into the meat as well)

Back to the OP though, I have to agree. The ALDI steaks are fantastic compared to anything from the major supermarkets. Only my local butcher does better, and at three times the price.

 

[Steevo]

As with most schemes you have to consider who it was designed to benefit. Not who it was sold as benefitting, but who it was designed to benefit.

Reminds me of: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/storing-grain-on-in-field-concrete-pads.34482

Was only thinking today that the new rules on tipping grain outside are clearly designed to ratify/benefit the supersize arable farms like those of members who sit on the RT board.

If I had a heap of grain outside the day of my RT inspection, I doubt my inspector would be impressed if I told him "but it's only been there two days".

 

[Old Boar]

Update: I first contacted RT using the online “contact us” form on their website. There was no response. I phoned RT and the lady did not seem to know that there was a “contact us” form on their website!

After a bit of correspondence (about how RT work) I finally had the following:-

The traceability programme which we established and that we robustly enforce was designed for a team of auditors whose only role is to carry out inspections and traceability challenges. The systems that are in place do not provide the sort of information or access that a consumer would need to carry out an accurate product trace.

So there we have it. The traceability is for the RT team, not for consumers. I then asked if the phrase “from farm to fork” was legal and was met with a resounding silence.
Now I am willing to take this forward, but would like the views of the members here before I go any further, as I don’t want to mess up things for those of you who are RT members.
Thoughts?

 

[kiwi pom]

If it can be traced from field to fork by their auditors and they can prove it if they are checked by a higher power then what's the problem?
How do you propose to take it forward?

 

[Old Boar]

The auditor does not own the fork. The end consumer does. That is the problem.

 

[yellowbelly]

Now I am willing to take this forward, but would like the views of the members here before I go any further

Are they saying that the 'auditor' can trace your steak back to the farm?

If so, ask him to show you (if you can spare the time) - it would be a shame to let them off the hook now you've got this far.

I'm sure if you explained to them that a lot of concerned producers on TFF were eager to see if it can be done they would be only too keen to oblige

Problem is, how would you know what they were telling you was true? They might just come up with anything in the hope that you'd go away

Good luck with whatever you decide and thanks for your efforts

 

[kiwi pom]

The auditor does not own the fork. The end consumer does. That is the problem.

So Red Tractor says that any member of the public can have access to all information required to trace their steak from the plate to the farm it was born? That's what you want right because even if they tell you you'll probably accuse them of making it up.

 

[Henarar]

Would we want them to tell the public where it came from ?
Fine if someone wants to ring to congratulate you on the fine steak you produced but they may want to find you and throw it at you if it was like a bit of old boot

 

[yellowbelly]

Would we want them to tell the public where it came from ?

Probably not, but IMHO, this is all about the RT claim that they can trace a steak (or anything else for that matter) 'from fork to farm' which ,on all the evidence that has come to light so far, they do not appear to be able to do.