Toasting a bright future to the North East food and drink sector

One NorthEast has pledged its commitment to the food and drink market in the region after awarding over £1million to the North East Regional Food Group (NE RFG).

Agreed projects and programmes will help the sector to become more sustainable by increasing consumer and producer confidence, improving the diversity, quality and range of food available and offering specialist assistance and guidance to businesses in the region.

The recognised NE RFG is Northumbria Larder, a membership organisation originally set up in 2002 with support from One NorthEast, the Countryside Agency, Defra and Food from Britain. It encourages collaboration between producers, suppliers and retailers from the Borders to Tees Valley to raise the standards of locally produced food and enhance the reputation of the region's distinctive food and drink products.

The board comprises representatives from One NorthEast and Government Office North East and currently has a regional membership of 64 SME food and drink businesses.