Scottish Government

3. How do we want to get there?

Food & drink production

3.1 History/Tradition/Culture/Geography

Food loving countries in Europe, where consumers are receptive to quality signals that associate quality with geographical origin, take regional food testing, grading and labelling seriously ( e.g.DOP and DOC labelling in Italy, AOC and Label Rouge in France - note: some of these labels are PDO/ PGI related).

Scotland has successfully marketed, over the years, its various food and drink products on the basis of:

• History - food and drink that, over hundreds of years has been proven to be unique or particularly suited to Scotland, such as livestock rearing, oats, barley, fruit, salmon, seafish, shellfish, baking, whisky, beers
• Tradition - methods of production that are special to Scotland such as smoking salmon and other fish or malting and distillation
• Culture - the making of regional or seasonal dishes from local produce or cooking styles particularly suited to the culture of an area such as Cullen skink or Arbroath smokies
• Geography - clean air, wild spaces, pure water, mountains, grass

There is more that can be done to play on what is, quite clearly, a strong and credible Scottish "card" and to make more of the wider European understanding of the value of these food and drink attributes.

Achieved/ongoing

Scotland's whisky industry has a long, successful history of protecting its unique whisky branding, enshrined in UK, EU and international law. The recent Geographical Indication of Origin talks in China illustrate the importance and awareness that the industry, supported by government attach to this issue.

Scotch beef, lamb and Scottish Salmon have developed terms and labels that, for many years have been respected in a variety of markets as premium brands. These have been further consolidated and protected by securing PGI/ PDO approval within recent years. Recent research for Quality Meat Scotland concluded that Italian, French, Belgian and Dutch consumers rated PGI / PDO labelling highly as a clear sign of product excellence. Scottish Farmed Salmon's links with Label Rouge in France also underline the value of European label recognition and understanding.

The Slow Food movement's Foundation for Biodiversity has established its Ark of Taste which "aims to rediscover, catalogue, describe and publicise forgotten flavours. It is a metaphorical recipient of excellent gastronomic products that are threatened by industrial standardization, hygiene laws, the regulations of large-scale distribution and environmental damage".

A number of local food marketing groups and labels have developed over recent years such as Taste of Arran and Mey Selections. These groups and the associated development and celebration of regional brands/names/marks help develop a more diverse and attractive food culture.

Note that the issue of Scottish provenance labeling is addressed under 3.6 (integrity)

Recommendations

• Continue to protect and strengthen existing, well-established Scottish food and drink labels and brands through ongoing political and financial support wherever appropriate.
• Maximise the use of the existing European food labelling schemes, building on the success of existing Scottish protected food names ( PFN):
  • commission a review of all Scottish food and drink products in the light of European labelling opportunities, identifying products that would qualify for PFN and related protection and labelling,
  • establish a system of advice and support for those food and drink businesses and/or groups who produce food and drink that could benefit from PFN and related protection and labelling,
  • incentivise, through discretionary support, the adoption and promotion of products identified in this way,
  • establish a national secondary schools programme of local food awareness (linked to 3.3 if appropriate), linking with producers, manufacturers and caterers to encourage product sampling and understanding. The objective being to develop a culture of food awareness that has been lost, in many cases, in the older generation.
• Support, where appropriate, local food marketing groups and local food labelling

3.2 Environment & its sustainability and economic & social sustainability

Scotland's food and drink producers recognise that environmental sustainability is an important reputation driver but should not be viewed in isolation. To address environmental sustainability without considering its impact on economic and social sustainability could result in damage to the food and drink industry that would be self-defeating.

The Slow Food Movement articulates the need to balance environmental, economic and social sustainability in its vision for good, clean and fair food, stating that, "We believe that the food we eat should taste good; that it should be produced in a clean way that does not harm the environment, animal welfare or our health; and that food producers should receive fair compensation for their work."

Achieved/ongoing

At an individual business level, many have sought to address climate change/environmental sustainability issues through adopting energy saving measures and adopting new, innovative energy-efficient technology, often with the support of local enterprise companies. At an industry organisational level some sectors are addressing environmental sustainability collectively such as the establishment of the Sea Fisheries Council to encourage sustainable, responsible fishing and the development of Marine Stewardship Council certified fisheries in some areas.

At a "macro" level, whilst we recognise that there is a debate regarding the balance between livestock production and crop production in respect of environmental impact, we need to take account of the fact that Scotland is particularly suited to high quality, extensive livestock production and therefore premium meat production needs to be encouraged and maintained in order to contribute positively to the economy and to Scotland's food and drink reputation. Likewise fisheries contribute significantly to Scotland's food and drink reputation and should be supported and maintained, whilst helping it to address sustainability.

Nevertheless the issue of the food and drink industry's impact on climate change and environmental sustainability needs to be more fully addressed at a practical level. Addressing this and supporting the industry as it responds to the challenge should become a significant element of Scottish Government food and drink policy. Depending on investment/support levels, it is possible to imagine that a small country such as Scotland could truly differentiate its food and drink industry on environmental sustainability measures in such a way that enhances its economic and social sustainability.

Recommendations

• Establish and fund a food and drink environmental, economic and social sustainability group - probably sited in Scotland Food and Drink - tasked to:
  • review all current environmental sustainability activity in the Scottish food and drink sector, assessing each activity against the 3 tenets of environmental, economic and social sustainability,
  • review best practice outside Scotland,
  • set ambitious but realistic and achievable targets for each sector of the food and drink industry for reduction in energy use, packaging and waste, greenhouse gas emissions, distribution and supply mileage etc. Each target must be applied with acknowledgment and respect to its impact on economic and social sustainability,
  • establish a system/route to achieve results through a combination of advice, research and financial support to individual businesses,
  • review and support food industry waste recycling through active and, where appropriate, funding support to the development of composting and anaerobic digestion facilities,
  • commission a high calibre review of the health and reputational risk of application of compost and waste products on food producing land in Scotland,
  • establish a credible and cost effective method of certification of environmental sustainability across the Scottish food and drink industry,
  • plan and implement a PR programme to explain to Scotland, the UK and key markets for Scottish food and drink that the Scottish food and drink industry is at the forefront of addressing sustainability in food and drink (note this can be linked with 3.5).

3.3 Good production practice including animal welfare, workforce knowledge and skills, food safety

A key driver to reputation is customer confidence in production practice, which in the case of food and drink includes animal welfare, staff competence, building safety/suitability, avoidance of environmental damage and safe use of medicines, pesticides and herbicides.

Achieved/ongoing

For many years the Scottish food and drink industry has set about securing and enhancing its reputation for good agricultural production, workforce skills and food safety through the development of farm assurance schemes and associated certification throughout the food production chain.

Quality Meat Scotland, Scottish Quality Salmon and Scottish Quality Crops pioneered this approach to building its industry's reputation for good practice through steadily growing farm assurance scheme membership, hard fought debates between consumer groups and industry over standards and extensive involvement and discussion with UK retailers.

Further schemes evolved such as Assured Produce (a UK wide Scheme), Assured Dairy production ( UK wide), Shetland Quality Salmon, Scottish Quality Wild Venison (and others) until every farmed product was covered and almost all farms are members of one or more schemes. Endorsement of the livestock schemes by the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals added further credibility.

Scotland's pioneering work led to the later uptake of farm assurance through the rest of the UK and then the world. Farm assurance has become a basic specification of many retailers.

Farm assurance and associated certification through the food chain such as haulage assurance, feed assurance, British Retail Consortium ( BRC) certification and Safe and Local Supplier Approval ( SALSA) have become embedded in Scottish food and drink production, underpinning its reputation for good practice, successfully defending it from occasional reputational attack. The Schemes are by no means static, being constantly maintained and reviewed by their owners/custodians and kept in tune with the markets they serve.

Additional certification such as organic, Freedom Food, Linking Environment and Farming ( LEAF) etc. have developed in parallel to meet specific market requirements/needs.

As reputation is enhanced so too is the attraction of the food and drink industry to new entrants. There is strong evidence pointing to a need to improve our basic food skills ( SDAP review, Food Standards Agency ( FSA) reports on consumer choices) and strong interest in the re-introduction of compulsory cooking and home economic skills for S1 and S2 pupils. This can be allied to Scottish Qualification Authority ( SQA) evidence of a growing demand for standard and higher grade Food Technology and Science.

Recommendations

• Continue to support, as appropriate, the established network of certification that underpins Scotland's reputation for good production practice.
• Recognise and celebrate the fact that Scotland pioneered this, now worldwide, assurance framework, building this message into market awareness activity (3.5) and highlight, whenever appropriate, that Scotland's food and drink industry operates to amongst the highest animal welfare standards in Europe.
• Provide support to small food manufacturers to join the relevant QA Scheme for their sector - notably SALSA for small/artisan producers.
• Continue to support Scottish organic food and drink production, recognising the positive part it plays in Scotland's developing food culture.
• Develop a nationwide action programme to raise cookery skills in Scottish secondary schools, linking where necessary with facilities and expertise at FE colleges or public kitchens.
• Review tertiary food and drink production education provision and develop strategy for enhancement and greater recruitment.
• Explore potential sponsorship opportunities for cookery skills education at schools.

3.4 Integrity (all we say and claim is what we say it is)

Labels and claims about Scottish food and drink must be accurate and helpful to the consumer.

Achieved/ongoing

There are a number of food and drink labels (largely relating to Scotland's high profile products such as whisky, salmon and beef) that are legally defined, well promoted and well recognised in the relevant markets.

There are rules, regulations and established practice around other labels that are confusing to both producers and consumers (reference Product Origin Scotland: A Review of Industry Practice and Evidence; ADAS & University of Edinburgh Business School 2009).

Recent research and discussion on Country of Origin Labelling for catering outlets and provenance/product origin research/discussion for Scottish food and drink products has yet to conclude (Product Origin Scotland, ADAS & ADAS & University of Edinburgh Business School 2009; Provenance from Producer to Plate, SFQC 2009). Both these issues also link to environmental sustainability (the increasing interest in buying more locally produced food for reasons of food miles as well as freshness and seasonality) and to health (the need to consider labelling confusion and mixed messages regarding product origin and product quality in terms of health).

As with environmental sustainability the issue of provenance labelling must be considered in partnership with economic and social sustainability. For example broad brush labelling changes intended to restrict food and drink producers to Scottish raw material supplies for the purpose "flying the Scottish flag" may be helpful for some sectors and damaging to others. Smaller producers may find such provenance claims to be easily accommodated and may believe that claims may add a marketing advantage in a specific marketplace. Larger producers may find provenance claims to be difficult or impossible to fulfill for reasons of raw material supply volume, cost or quality and the resulting impact on final product quality, consistency and price. The purpose of any provenance labelling requirements/changes must therefore be demonstrably in the consumers interest, accurate and helpful and its impact on the producers affected assessed (in terms of practicalities, costs and market advantage). It must be applied wisely and, if appropriate, proportionally, across different food and drink sectors.

Recommendations

• Review and issue clear guidance for the use of provenance related labels across all Scottish food and drink products, clearly explaining current legal requirements, current best practice guidelines and how to apply to specific products.
• Take into account recommendations from other workstreams regarding labelling.
• This guidance should become the reference point for all parties involved with Scottish food and drink production.
• Identify a custodian for the guidance who should be required/enabled to keep it under review on an ongoing basis.
• Develop and pilot the non statutory food provenance and labelling practical toolkit for the Scottish catering sector (underway) to promote the benefits of producer to plate labelling, to assist those who are unclear of the options available and to encourage those who may be less convinced of the benefits of provenance labelling.
• The focus of this toolkit is the development of effective menu provenance information which brings recognised social, economic, environmental and health benefits; that together have the potential to improve Scotland's reputation as a land of food and drink.
• Formally review the impact of both product labelling guidance and catering toolkit after 2 years to assess its success and to inform thinking on the need for legislation. In considering any changes to food provenance labelling legislation/guidelines and to menu provenance legislation/guidance, full account should be taken (and reported) of the economic and social sustainability consequences of any changes.

3.5 Marketing - awareness/knowledge

Reputation is built over years through a combination of personal experience, word of mouth, and information available through events, the media and, increasingly, the internet. To enhance Scotland's food and drink reputation it is not enough just to act, we have to explain our actions to our markets.

Achieved/ongoing

The key industry bodies responsible for their own sectors' product promotion in Scotland, the rest of the UK and internationally such as QMS, SSPO, SFS have developed well refined strategies and promotions, within their budget limitations, to sustain and develop product sales.

The Scottish food and drink industry has a chequered past with regard to whole industry, coordinated, collaborative marketing. However, more recently regional Food Forums have successfully fostered communication amongst food businesses around the country and a new start has been made with the establishment of Scotland Food and Drink.

Scotland Food and Drink operates its "Access to Markets programme" including meet the buyer events, buyers briefings, training seminars, workshops, SALSA, BRC, and supplier development programme.

Recommendations

• Continue to support the key sector promotional bodies.
• Continue to support regional food forums, as appropriate.
• Maximise support to Scotland Food and Drink to allow it to become truly established as the focus for the enhancement of Scotland's food and drink reputation.
• Ensure that Scotland Food and Drink's "Access to Markets" programme is adequately resourced to allow it to make recognisable, rapid impact for participating food businesses.
• In addition to its ongoing access to markets activity, task and fund Scotland Food and Drink to plan and deliver a substantial, enhanced and sustained Scottish food and drink generic promotion and PR drive across each of the key markets for Scottish produce in Scotland, rest of UK and internationally. Explore opportunities for EU funding to support promotional activities in this area.
• The promotion and PR programme should focus on each of the drivers of reputation identified in this paper in a systematic, cogent manner, tailored to appeal to different consumer profiles through a range of different approaches. In other words the programme should seek to raise awareness of Scottish food and drink and its value not just to the "foodie" marketplace but to a wider set of consumers.
• Annually review and assess the programme's impact and adjust plans accordingly.
• Assist Scotland Food and Drink to engage, to a greater extent, with Scotland's smaller/medium food and drink producers to encourage and foster best practice, to provide access to advice and assistance and to allow effective promotion.
• Encourage food and drink companies who have/gained public funding to be members of Scotland Food and Drink and regional food forums.

3.6 Health giving

Food and drink products that offer proven health benefits help build a positive reputation.

Achieved/ongoing

Many Scottish food and drink products offer specific health benefits as part of a well balanced diet.

This driver of reputation impinges directly on Workstream 2 and we do not therefore seek to advise or comment on it in detail.

Recommendation

• Identify and include information on key health attributes of each Scottish food and drink product as part of the enhanced promotion and PR activity undertaken as recommended in 3.5.

3.7 Taste

To succeed food and drink must taste good. There is a danger that a strategy to build healthy; environmentally, economically, socially sustainable; easily accessable food and drink production could, at times, lose sight of the basic need for food and drink to taste good.

Achieved/ongoing

Taste panelling and organoleptic testing is an established feature of the Scottish food and drink industry and many businesses take this issue seriously. Industry organisations such as Quality Meat Scotland, Seafood Scotland, Scotch Whisky Association, Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation address taste issues in various ways. It should be borne in mind however that 93% of food and drink businesses are "small" ( i.e. employing less than 50 staff) and so may not be well positioned to fully address the issue of taste in a systematic, credible way.

It is also reasonable to note that Scotland's reputation with regard to food consumption does not point to a nation that itself, as a rule, takes pride in a "taste culture". Nevertheless a growing number of groupings and events around Scotland are working to celebrate taste as a key element of food and drink such as:

• food and drink festivals
• cookschools
• the Slow Food movement
• farmers markets

Recommendations

• Encourage and support the further development of events and groups which celebrate good tasting Scottish food and drink and those which seek to build a "culture of taste".
• Review and address the provision of taste panelling and organoleptic testing for the Scottish food and drink industry to ensure that there are no barriers to this important driver of reputation.

3.8 Essential properties (such as texture, colour, freshness, salt, sugar, fat, carbohydrate content)

This driver of reputation impinges directly on Workstream 2 and we do not therefore seek to advise or comment on it in detail other than in the context of some practicalities within the industry itself.

Achieved/ongoing

These quality issues are, like taste, an established feature of the Scottish food and drink industry and many businesses and supporting industry organisations take them seriously. However if, as expected, there are recommendations from other workstreams to address the quality of Scottish food and drink in respect, particularly, of Scotland's health then it is essential that the food and drink industry has easy, affordable access to advice and product formulation expertise to enable it to respond positively to identified priorities.

Recommendations

• Review Scottish food and drink industry awareness and access to advice and services relating to food and drink quality in respect of nutrient content.
• Establish a framework of support for the Scottish food and drink industry, in collaboration with universities and colleges, to ensure rapid, cost effective and positive response to the Government's national food and drink policy.

How do we want to get there?

Food & drink provision

3.9 Eating out, eating Scottish in Scotland and food destinations

Scotland has much to do to improve its reputation for eating out but also has many positive things to work with including an ever improving eating out scene.

Achieved/ongoing

There are a large number of projects and activities ongoing in the "food tourism" sector, some examples of which are:

• Market Penetration Project - SF&D
• Local & National Food Events & Festivals - various e.g. Taste of Edinburgh; BBC Good Food Show; Taste of Grampian, Islay Malt and Music Festival
• Growth Fund - VS
• Excellence Awards - SF&D
• Distribution Workshops - SE
• Hotel School
• Dumfries House
• Food & Drink industry showcase - SE
• Market Segmentation Guide - SE
• Trends Workshop - SE
• Public Procurement - guidance on local sourcing - SG
• Provenance from Producer to Plate: a voluntary code of practice for origin declarations on menus - SG/ SFQC
• National Development of Farmers Markets in Scotland - SG/ SFQC/ SAOS
• Homecoming Events Guide - TiG
• Skye & Lochalsh Food Link Group
• Enhancement of the Buyers Guide on www.sfd.org - SE
• Barriers to accessing local food and drink - SE
• Food Workshops (Breakfasts/Game/Traditional Scotland) - SE
• Food Tourism Toolkit - SE/ SG
• Eat Scotland - VS
• Taste of Scotland - Express Media
• Visitor Experience Research - VS
• Product Knowledge (in development) - SE
• Consumer Marketing - VS
• What's on Your Plate - seasonality guide - NFUS
• Trade Messaging - VS/ SE/TiG
• Focus on Food Profit - People First
• Scottish Culinary Team - Federation of Chefs Scotland
• Scottish Food Fortnight - SF&D
• Food Forums - SE
• Grampian Dining Clubs - GFF
• SAC Food Marketing consultancy - SAC
• Local Food Marketing Guide - SAC
• Food Trails - various
• Publications/websites: The Larder - SFQC/The List; Eating and Drinking Guide - The List; Scotland the Best; 5pm.co.uk

While some of these projects are commercially driven, many are supported or managed by the public sector. Some projects overlap. There is currently no singular message about Scotland's food and drink within food tourism that is common to all the public sector agencies.

Recommendations

• Develop a coordinated & focused approach to Scottish food and drink tourism (eating out, eating Scottish in Scotland and food and drink destinations) by appointing one body (or group) to act as the gateway to all public sector supported food tourism development projects in order to prevent duplication and maximise effectiveness.
• This body (or group) to be tasked with:
  • the development of an integrated food and drink tourism strategy for eating out, eating Scottish food in Scotland and for food and drink destination tourism, incorporating all publicly managed & supported, projects,
  • review, link with and support successful, commercially operated food and drink tourism activities in order to maximise the effectiveness of all efforts to enhance Scotland's food and drink tourism reputation,
  • develop and deliver a substantial and sustained Scottish food and drink tourism promotion and PR drive to Scottish residents, through existing commercial channels if possible and, through VisitScotland, to visitors to Scotland,
  • develop a substantial, ongoing, regionally based programme of training for management and staff in places to eat and drink to increase awareness of the issues that affect consumers and Scotland's food and drink reputation. This could be an extension of the food tourism toolkit delivered in collaboration with existing regional food forums, dining clubs, VisitScotland and the Scottish Tourism Forum,
  • review tertiary catering education provision and develop strategy for enhancement and greater recruitment
  • work with VisitScotland to extend the reach and impact of EatScotland to a much greater number of places to eat in a cost-effective manner. This could, in a time of recession, be achieved through linking with existing, successful, respected commercial "where to eat" guides to avoid the need to charge additional fees for EatScotland participation,
  • work with the deliverers of recommendation 3.4 - integrity - to develop and disseminate guidance and support on voluntary food provenance labelling, developing linkage (as appropriate) with the EatScotland scheme to identify and promote those places to eat that choose to highlight Scottish food and drink,
  • act as a central point for enabling good quality Scottish food and drink to be used and promoted at all events - conferences, trade shows, dinners, award ceremonies - organised by or supported by the public sector,
  • work with the food and drink environmental, economic and social sustainability group (recommendation 3.2) to address environmental sustainability issues in the food and drink tourism sector,
  • review and develop links with, as appropriate, the Healthy Living Award,
  • establish a support system for food supply chain relationships between producers and the food service sector.