Will traditional Scottish food go global?

Black pudding

Scotland's most celebrated foods, including the world-famous Arbroath Smokie, a type of smoked small haddock, could soon be marketed on a global scale under proposals to attempt to boost the profile of the country's finest cuisine.

Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead will visit one of the world's largest food and beverage fairs today to support Scottish exhibitors and unveil new branding for home-grown fare.

Nine Scottish foodstuffs, including Scotch beef and Arbroath smokies, currently already enjoy Protected Food Name (PFN) status.

The minister is in Cologne, Germany, promoting Scotland at the Anuga International Food Fair.

He said, "It's fitting that at the end of Scotland's Year of Homecoming we are now going forward to the international market to showcase Scotland's reputation as a land of food and drink.

"Our food and drink sector is already a good news story, achieving great things year on year.

"However, growing international revenue is critical if we are to reach our target of growing the value of Scotland's food and drink sector to GBP£10billion by 2017."

Lochhead also urged producers of lesser known Scottish products to apply for PFN status.

He continued: "Scotch beef and lamb, Scottish farmed salmon and Arbroath Smokies all enjoy the benefit of PFN, giving customers the guaranteed genuine article. There are over 800 protected PFNs registered throughout the EU, with Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Germany, accounting for about 90 percent of all PFNs.

"I would encourage more producers to apply to the scheme, giving Scottish products protection from inferior imitations."

Lochhead added: "A new marketing programme will help increase awareness of Scottish seafood in France and the 23 other competing countries next year."

Among the Scottish companies exhibiting at Anuga are drinks manufacturer A.G. Barr, Highland Smoked Salmon and Kingdom Dairies.

Other Scottish food producers currently seeking protected status include Stornoway black pudding, traditional Ayrshire Dunlop cheese and Scottish wild salmon. The campaign to safeguard the authenticity of Stornoway black pudding has been stepped up in recent weeks after fake brands were uncovered in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

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