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Grampian Food Forum

The Grampian Food Forum is a partnership comprising senior members of the food and drink industry in the North East of Scotland and the main development agencies in the area. The Forum advises the public sector organisations on the needs of the food and drink industry so that programmes and projects can be put in place which are focused on the actual needs of the industry. The Forum provides an opportunity for companies from different sectors to learn from each other and to exchange ideas.

The Forum exists to help companies consolidate their competitive position in the short term, and more importantly, guide them towards sustainable long-term growth. As well as the main strategic group, there are two groups that provide a focus for the industry. The Operations Group aims to identify and maximise promotional and sales opportunities both at home and abroad, while the Innovation and Technology Group provides an opportunity for personnel involved in quality assurance and product development to share ideas and discuss key issues.

Each year, the Forum establishes an operational plan considering the promotional and technical initiatives that it can deliver to enhance the development of the Grampian food and drink industry.

The activities of the Food Forum are many and varied. They include workshops, awareness visits, in-store promotions, dining clubs and skills workshops. The Forum has been involved with Grampian Chef of the Year since 2002; the competition is organised in conjunction with Hospitality Training and the Federation of Chefs Scotland to promote the wealth of culinary talent in Grampian and the finalists are set the challenge of using local produce to create exciting and innovative dishes.

One of our flagship events is the Grampian Food Forum Innovation Awards, where local food and drink companies have the chance to present their newly developed products to a high profile panel of judges. The Innovation Awards are now in their nineteenth year and are open to all food and drink companies based in the area. Previous chairmen for the event have included David Sainsbury, Allan Leighton, Archie Norman, Sir Alistair Grant, Sir Ian MacLaurin, Ian Player, David Reid, Alex Fisher and Steve Back.

The activities of Grampian Food Forum are open to representatives from all food and drink processing companies in the area.

The Grampian Food Forum Strategy can be accessed below.

The Grampian Food Forum Annual Report 2008 can be accessed below

For further information on activities please see Grampian Food Matters.

Contact

If you would like further information on any of Grampian Food Forum's activities or you would be keen to participate in the Innovation and Technology Group, please contact:

Grampian Food Forum Co-ordinator