Food & Drink

food & drink Specialist training initiative helps start-ups & graduates thrive in food & drink industry

A dynamic initiative, which will equip budding entrepreneurs for success in Scotland’s food & drink industry, is launching for a second year. Drawing on expertise from two Scottish academic institutions, the THRIVE programme will provide outstanding opportunities for young food & drink and rural SMEs, students, and graduates, while strengthening sustainable growth in Scotland’s food & drink and rural sector.

The programme is the result of a collaboration between Queen Margaret University and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC). THRIVE is an ambitious initiative which will provide food & drink and rural micro-SMEs, students and graduates with the specialist knowledge required to support their successful entry into the sector. The intensive two-day programme will equip new graduates, as well as people already working in foodassociated SMEs, with essential sessions run by food industry experts that will support the early stages of transition into, or within, the broader industry.

For further information on the THRIVE programme email; HelloSCFDI@qmu.ac.uk or foodanddrink@sruc.ac.uk.

Egg Price Increase Announced by Noble Foods

Noble Foods has announced a six pence per dozen price increase for all its free-range and organic producers, beginning 8th October 2022.

The increase comes from the UK’s largest egg packer despite the challenging financial and retail climate. The six pence per dozen rise includes all Class A eggs (Extra Large, Large, Medium and Small grades) from all free-range and organic producers in the Noble Foods group. Reflecting on the increase, Graham Atkinson, Agriculture Director at Noble Foods said: “Our producers are facing turbulent cost pressures, many of which are a knock-on effect from global events. But the resulting inflation issue cannot be ignored. The support and attention must be with our producers, which is why this price increase is so necessary. Because we operate long-lasting feed deals across our base, this increase reflects non-feed related inflation elements. I hope it demonstrates our long-term intent to put our producers first.”

New education resource to help Scottish pupils learn about the food journey from farm to fork

Food and Drink Federation (FDF) Scotland and Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) have teamed up to develop a new food education resource to help young people learn about the people and processes involved in getting quality food to the table.

Based on the familiar process of creating a burger and targeted at S1-3 pupils, ‘Make it With Meat’

will support interactive sessions that cover everything from the nutritional content of ingredients to product development, testing and labelling. Students will also hear about the important people and careers in our food chain on their journey to discovering more about the farm to fork process.

Offering a flexible approach, teachers can pick and choose the lessons that meet their teaching requirements using videos, PowerPoint and other resources. Each lesson has a ‘go further’ section which can be used in class, for at home learning or for fast finishers.

Trialled at Hawick High School in the Scottish Borders, Home Economics teacher Shona Murray commented on both the ease of use and positive reaction from the children:

“We were asked by QMS to trial the new Make it with Meat resource and we had the opportunity to give it a go with some of our S1 and S3 pupils. It’s great because everything is there for you in the six lessons, from farming through to nutrition, and costing to careers.

“Depending on your preferences and stage of your pupils, lessons can be selected and adapted as necessary. Doing the entire project as part of a block is, of course, also an option.

“Our S3 pupils did all six lessons and then designed their own burger, and they all thoroughly enjoyed the project.”

Nestlé launches NESCAFÉ Plan 2030

NESCAFÉ, Nestlé’s largest coffee brand and one of the world’s favourite coffees, has outlined its extensive plan to help make coffee farming more sustainable: the NESCAFÉ Plan 2030. The brand is working with coffee farmers to help them transition to regenerative agriculture while accelerating its decade of work under the NESCAFÉ Plan.

The brand is investing over one billion Swiss francs by 2030 in the NESCAFÉ Plan 2030. This investment builds on the existing NESCAFÉ Plan as the brand expands its sustainability work. It is supported by Nestlé’s regenerative agriculture financing following the Group’s commitment to accelerate the transition to a regenerative food system and ambition to achieve zero net greenhouse gas emissions.

“Climate change is putting coffee-growing areas under pressure,” said David Rennie, Head of Nestlé Coffee Brands. “Building on 10 years’ experience of the NESCAFÉ Plan, we’re accelerating our work to help tackle climate change and address social and economic challenges in the NESCAFÉ value chains.”

Rising temperatures will reduce the area suitable for growing coffee by up to 50% by 2050. At the same time, around 125 million people depend on coffee for their livelihoods and an estimated 80% of coffeefarming families live at or below the poverty line[3]. Action is needed to ensure the long-term sustainability of coffee.

“As the world’s leading coffee brand, NESCAFÉ aims to have a real impact on coffee farming globally,” said Philipp Navratil, Head of Nestlé’s Coffee Strategic Business Unit. “We want coffee farmers to thrive as much as we want coffee to have a positive impact on the environment. Our actions can help drive change throughout the coffee industry.”