'Love QSM Pork' is the new slogan being used to take the Quality Standard Mark to the next stage of its marketing campaign.

It moves on from efforts to simply promote use of the QSM mark alongside the strapline 'just 4% fat'.

The British Pig Executive has developed the concept alongside a new logo and a wealth of marketing material to mark the start of a more touchy-feeling consumer-facing campaign.

Chris Lamb of the MLC said: "We've been a little hard-hearted in the past with our 'only 4% fat' message. Now we're looking for a bit more warmth, to re-engage with the consumer."

It also allowed BPEX to be more flexible with its marketing message, Lamb said. Because the strapline could be attached to leaflets about health, indulgence and ease of use, it would allow different cuts of QSM pork to be targeted at different consumers.

"We don't want to be saying pork is only low fat, because there's another group of people who say pork is less tasty now that so much of the fat is removed," he said.

To kick off the new-look branding, BPEX is spending half a day promoting recipes to consumer journalists in London.

It has also printed on-pack stickers, shelf talkers with messages about the meat, and developed advertising on the internet.

"The retailers have been extremely positive and we're pretty confident all the major multiples will get involved one way or another," Lamb said.

There was even a chance that Waitrose would allow some form of the QSM to appear on British pork, abandoning its insistence that its own brand was more powerful, he added.

"We want to increase the amount of British pork being sold within the premium sectors.

"If we can move it up, then hopefully we can increase the returns."

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