McCain Foods is to become the first frozen food manufacturer to carry the Red Tractor logo on its chips, following a pledge to use only British potatoes.

From September its chips will carry the mark back of pack and the claim that "100% British potatoes" were used on the front. Currently, 95% of its chip products are made from British potatoes, while the remaining 5% are made from spuds sourced in Belgium.

The move marks a major coup for the Red Tractor label, which until now has predominantly featured on own-label products. The company said it would reassure consumers about the origin of its chips.

"We have had a close working relationship with British farmers for generations and are pleased to be able to use 100% British potatoes for all of our chips," said Nick Vermont, Regional CEO for McCain Foods. "We are proud to be able to say to our customers that our chips are a quality British product made with the very best simple, natural ingredients.

"The Assured Food Standards stamp lets customers know McCain chips have been produced to high quality standards from the farm through to the shelf."

The move comes less than a month after PepsiCo pledged to use 100% British potatoes for Walkers crisps as part of a move to reduce its carbon footprint.

McCain's commitment to 100% British potatoes is the latest plank in the 'It's All Good' campaign, launched last September.

In a bid to be more "honest and open" about its products, McCain has already adopted a dual-labelling system that uses both traffic lights and GDAs.

It has also lobbied the government about what it claims is the unfair labelling of chips as junk food, arguing that they are healthy because they are prepared in sunflower oil and contain less than 5% fat. It has been particularly critical of school rules that limit the amount of oven chips that can be eaten in a week.

McCain's latest initiative, which kicks off on 10 September, will be backed by a multimillion pound spend, including billboard and online advertising.

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