Funding to support food and drink sector in Scotland

Funding has been awarded to help regional food and drink ventures recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Scottish Government has allocated £200,000 to a range of projects across the country with the aim of helping producers and event organisers to showcase quality regional food and drink products.

A total of 42 grants up to £5000 have been made to innovative projects in Scotland and includes funding for the Barras Food and Farmers’ Market in Glasgow and Root to Market in Edinburgh.

Rural Affairs secretary Mairi Gougeon acknowledged the “significant blow” caused by the pandemic and Brexit to producers, as she announced the grants on Thursday.

“This funding underlines our continued commitment to this important and exciting sector and I am delighted to see the involvement of such a diverse range of projects,” said Gougeon.

“A combination of Covid-19 and Brexit have dealt a significant blow to many of our high-quality food and drink producers and recognising this, we doubled the initial funding to £200,000 to help more projects.

“We know that consumers are increasingly interested in where their food comes from and are looking for high welfare and production standards, as well as taking into account environmental issues including food miles and are increasingly buying local.

“These collaborative projects will also showcase the incredible range of food and drink produced in Scotland and deliver unique and memorable eating and drinking experiences as we look to welcoming more international visitors.”

Fiona Richmond, head of regional food at Scotland Food & Drink, said: “This increase in support comes at a critical time as local economies get back on their feet after a challenging year.

“We look forward to seeing the awarded projects come to life over the next six months.”