WAITROSE UNVEILS NEW PIG WELFARE ADVERT
Waitrose is challenging its rivals over animal welfare in a new TV advert featuring chef Heston Blumenthal.
The advert was first aired on ITV on Friday 22nd June, and unveiled plans for customers to be able to use smartphones to scan Waitrose own label pork products to receive information on how the pigs were bred.
Waitrose has claimed its standards are higher than “some other supermarkets”.
A spokesperson for Waitrose said:
“High welfare values aren’t simply applied to its most premium pork, sausages and bacon, and Waitrose wants to ensure this is understood by its customers.”
The advert was created by advertising agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty, and shows Heston Blumenthal on a supplier’s farm in the UK.
In the short ad the chef states that all Waitrose fresh pork products come from pigs that are bred outdoors then reared in light and airy barns with fresh straw bedding.
Following on from the new advert the retailer will introduce QR codes to all of its own label products from 4 July.
Codes will also appear on own-label pork, sausages, bacon and gammon as well as on shelf-edge barkers.
Shoppers will then be able to scan the codes using their smartphones to receive information on the welfare levels on pig farms and information about the farmers responsible for rearing them.
They can also select a number of recipes and cooking tips via their phones.
Heather Jenkins, director of buying and agriculture strategy said:
“At Waitrose we believe animals should be able to express their natural behaviour and our new marketing campaign highlights the lengths we go to ensure that our pork is produced in the right way – even for everyday staples.”
