This section will be kept up to date with any relevant and useful information for businesses in the Food and Drink sector.
You can sign up to our monthly Food & Drink newsletter here.
Events and Training
There’s a range of support on offer to businesses in the food and drink industry through Cumbria Business Growth Hub and Cumbria Chamber of Commerce.
See below upcoming events designed to help your business.
Increase your supply chain
Aldi are looking for new Cumbrian suppliers as part of its drive to support British businesses.
The call outs apply to all product categories including food, drink and Specialbuys, and forms part of the supermarket’s ongoing commitment to spend an additional £3.5 billion a year with UK suppliers by 2025.
Any Cumbrian supplier interested in working with Britain’s fourth largest supermarket and wanting to find out more can click here
Rise up against food waste
Wasted food eating into your profits? The Guardians of Grub are here to help you rise up against the 1.1 million tonnes of food thrown away by the Hospitality and Food Service industry every year. So, take a stand against wasted food. Help your business, the environment and the community by using our Guardians of Grub Cost Saving Calculator to find out how much money you could save. Find our more here.
Allergen Labelling
Food allergen labelling is a vital part for any food and drink business and is an important tool to reduce risk of exposure and prevent anaphylaxis for individuals with food allergies. Consumers are more likely to trust businesses that pay attention to allergens and most importantly correct labelling can save lives.
Cumbria County Council have created a presentation on the updates to Allergen Labelling. You can see the presentation here.
Natasha’s Law
Natasha’s Law came into effect on 1st October 2021. Natasha’s Law was introduced to protect allergy sufferers and give them confidence in the food they buy.
It will require all food outlets to provide full ingredient lists with clear allergen labelling on Pre Packed for Direct Sale foods (PPDS). PPDS is food that is prepared, prepacked and offered or sold to consumers on the same premises.
You can watch hear more about Natasha’s Law below:
If you are unsure on Natasha’s Law, take a look at the recorded webinar that was presented by Cumbria Trading Standards here.
Defra Geographical Indication (GI) Scheme
A GI is a A geographical indication (G) is an Intellectual Property (IP) right used on products that have qualities or characteristics attributable to a specific geographical origin. A good Cumbrian example of this is Cumberland Sausage! Other examples of products include Scotch whisky and Stilton cheese. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is the competent authority for GI schemes in the UK. The Intellectual Property Office works closely with Defra due to the interaction between GIs and trade marks
For key information, visit their GOV.UK pages. The key pages are:
- The UK register of geographical food and drink names: Protected geographical food and drink names – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- The UK GI Schemes overview Protected geographical food and drink names: UK GI schemes – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The overview page includes links to further information, including:
- How to apply (different pages depending whether the product name relates to agri-food, wine, aromatised wine, or spirits). For example, see agri-food application guidance here: Protect a geographical food or drink name – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- The scheme rules on use of a protected name: Using a protected geographical food or drink name: UK GI scheme rules – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Cumbria Business Growth Hub alongside Defra recently held an online event to explain better to businesses the benefits of having a GI. If you’d like a copy of the presentation, please email info@cumbriagrowthhub.co.uk.
Defra have also produced a series of ‘How To’ guides for food and drink businesses, you can see them below:
- Direct To Consumer How-To Guide
- Exporting How-To Guide
- Public Sector Food and Catering How-To Guide
- Regional and Local Food and Drink Promotion How-To Guide
Defra Routes to Retail: a how-to guide for SMEs
This guide is aimed at small and micro food businesses who are looking for routes retail. It provide s into information to support you on your journey to supplying a variety of retailers, including practical advice and real When working with any retailife SME case studies.
Access the guide here
Regulator Information
Business Companion
Trading Standards have informed us of the Business Companion website which explains the law of trading standards. Business Companion gives free, impartial legal guidance to businesses and provides information to that both businesses and individuals need to know about trading standards and consumer protection legislation.
You can view more information on their website here.
Food Standards Agency
The Food Standards Agency use expertise and influence so that people can trust the food that they buy and eat is safe and says it is what it is.
There’s a huge range of resources and information available on the website including an up to date news section which features the latest food and allergy alerts, latest news and consultation which you can subscribe to.
You can see more information here.
For more information on the above, or if you have any queries please email info@cumbriagrowthhub.co.uk.
