A new ethical food label, "RSPCA Assured", is being launched by the animal welfare group in the UK.

The RSPCA Assured label replaces the animal charity's "Freedom Food" mark and signifies that the product has come from a farm inspected to the RSPCA's higher animal welfare standards. These standards include space to move, natural light, and "things to do" like providing straw for pigs to root around in.

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Mike Tomlinson, chairman of the RSPCA, said the new label was being launched in a bid to increase the number of animals benefiting from the standard. "Whilst many millions of animals have already benefited from being farmed to the RSPCA’s welfare standards, under the RSPCA’s Freedom Food logo, the new RSPCA Assured label aims to really boost this number. In the next five years alone we hope to help improve the lives of about 100m more farm animals, plus many millions of salmon and trout."

In particular, the RSPCA said that it wanted to increase the labelling scheme's connection to consumer awareness of the RSPCA and its mission. "Ninety-six per cent of people recognise the RSPCA brand, compared to 24% for Freedom Food," Jeremy Cooper, chief executive of the RSPCA Assured scheme, explained. "Greater recognition of the new label means more people will choose RSPCA Assured products."

Cooper said that the RSPCA aims to have more certified products available in supermarkets and estimated that the number of RSPCA Assured products could increase by 200% in the next five years.

RSPCA Assured products are being rolled out into Sainsbury’s, Aldi, The Co-operative Group and Lidl this month. The new label will continue replacing the Freedom Food label on products in supermarkets and shops over the next 12 months. The launch will be supported by a TV advertising campaign, the RSPCA revealed.

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