The Scottish farming industry has urged their support for Scotland Food and Drink’s annual campaign to convert as many people as possible to buy fresh, local products.
This year’s Food and Drink Fortnight – which started on 2 September - has, through the #onethingfortnight tag, been encouraging the public to buy produce which has been locally sourced.
With one week to go, social media successes show that the Scottish public have been embracing the message and making small, everyday changes which is hoping will make a big difference to Scottish farmers and producers.
These have included switching from processed cheese in a packed lunch sandwich to cheese from a local dairy, using fresh Scottish raspberries in a dessert, and having seasonal Scotch lamb chops for dinner.
The campaign has coincided with the UK-wide campaign #LoveLambWeek and Quality Meat Scotland’s Wham Bam Thank You Lamb campaigns.
It is hoped that a promotion of Scotch lamb will provide a much-needed boost to the meat’s popularity as peak season arrives.
Despite the campaigns to raise awareness for domestic use, Scotland's food and drink industry is performing well. Exports increased by over 11 per cent in the first quarter of this year, compared with the same period in 2016.
'Finest'
Scott Walker, NFU Scotland Chief Executive, said: “Scotland produces some of the finest food and drink in the world and that is in no small part down to our farmers, crofters and growers who pride themselves in what they do day-in-day-out to produce some of the finest tastiest produce you will find anywhere.
“All too often we take for granted what is right here on our own doorstep. By being involved in campaigns like #onethingfortnight, we as an industry are able to shout about our fantastic produce we have here in Scotland.
“It is important that the valuable momentum built up by Food and Drink Fortnight in week one is carried through, not just for the next week but in making lasting changes to the produce that Scottish consumers buy on a regular basis.
“I encourage everyone to search out Scottish food and drink and whether it is trying something you haven’t tried before or cooking something different with the fantastic ingredients we produce here in Scotland #onethingfortnight is a chance to experiment and enjoy what farmers spend a lifetime producing for the people of Scotland.”
