This article originally appeared in Fresh Produce Journal, March 2026
Red Tractor’s Fresh Produce assurance standards cover all fruit and vegetable crops and a wide range of production systems, ranging from low-risk vegetables that are usually cooked, such as potatoes, to higher-risk crops which can be eaten raw, such as leafy salads.
To ensure the standards remain relevant, fit-for-purpose and proportionate to risk, a full review is underway with an updated set of standards anticipated to be in place by spring 2027.
Sam Trevey, Fresh Produce Technical Manager at Red Tractor, says every single standard and audit point is being looked at to ensure it meets the needs of the full supply chain, with a key focus on food safety.
“The standards need to take into account the different risk categories within the sector,” he explains. “While it’s important the higher-risk crops, like salads, have more robust food safety standards, we don’t want to overburden those growing lower-risk crops, like potatoes, with the same standards.
“Equally, the sector and its needs aren’t static either – everything evolved and we need to be aware of shifting cultural norms and farming practices.”
Veryan Bliss, who was appointed Fresh Produce Sector Chair at Red Tractor in December 2025, says the review will be overseen by both the Fresh Produce Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and the main Sector Board – before being signed off by the overarching Red Tractor Board of Directors.
Bliss adds: “We’re very lucky that there’s such a significant depth and breadth of knowledge on the TAC and Sector Boards with representatives from producers through to retailers.
“The TAC review and advise on the standards to ensure they’re relevant and practical, while horizon scanning to see what we need to include or adapt in line with developments in the sector while the Board reviews the appropriateness following guidance from the TAC.”
Barbara Bray MBE (pictured at the top) is the TAC Chair for Fresh Produce at Red Tractor. She says that in addition to a full review of the standards, a new working group has been set up to strengthen the standards governing leafy salads.
Bray, who leads the group, explains: “The British Leafy Salads Association and Chilled Foods Association came to us and requested we develop a module for leafy salads growers to strengthen food safety, which we’re planning to pilot in the next year.
“It follows an outbreak of Shiga Toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in 2024 linked to supermarket sandwiches. Although it wasn’t possible to identify the exact source, from an industry point of view, it highlights why it’s prudent to make sure strong standards are in place for food safety from the field and throughout the whole production process, so the industry isn’t left in the firing line.”
She says the shared ambition for the new leafy salads module is to bring the standard for food safety on farm to the same level across the board; demonstrate robust, trusted standards to consumers; and reduce the need for multiple, individual customer audits.