Clever Cooking!

Free in the Belfast Telegraph all this week - Monday 8th February to Saturday 13th February!

Give yourself a 6-day cookery course with the Clever Cooking supplements containing over 100 tasty, easy and money saving recipes using local Northern Ireland food.

Simple recipes with easy to follow methods and practical advice to save time and money! Pick up your Telegraph today!

Breakfast Rap Competition!

What is a rap? Don't worry - there are no strict rules on how to compose your own rap! When you are writing your lyrics, try to make sure that the lyrics match or associate with the name of the song. Put your heart into it! Flow...and just keep rapping!

Having trouble finding ideas? Here's some suggested words you could use in your rap!

White's Porridge          McCann's Juice           Punjana Tea

Dale Farm Milk            Skea Eggs                 Northern Ireland

Irwin's Bread              NI Good Food is in our Nature

Sausages                   Bacon                       Cereal    

Potato Bread              Only Oats                  Wheaten Bread        

Ulster Fry                   Soda Bread               Butter      

Nutty Krust                 Farmers                   

................or you can use your own!!! Good Luck!!!

An Easy Guide to

Recording your Rap

There are so many ways to do this but the simplest, quickest and most cost effective ways are:

1)     Use an mp3 player that has a voice recorder and usb function

2)     Use a voice recorder on your phone and email the file to yourself

We're not looking for studio quality. We just want to be able to clearly hear the lyrics and tune.

When using either of the above tools, all you have to do is get ready to perform your rap, hit the record button on your device and away you go!

Downloading from mp3 player

• Simply plug it into the usb slot on your computer and open the files when prompted to do so. Select your song and save onto your desk top.

• Insert a black CD. Right click on your saved music file and select ‘send to CD'. Once you've done this, open the CD folder and click ‘Burn to CD'.

 Using a voice recorder

• Once you've recorded onto your phone, depending on what type of phone you have, you should be able to send the file either to your email address or to another phone which has this function.

• Then simply follow the instructions above to burn it onto a CD.

And that's it! Now you have everything you need to make your ‘Breakfast Rap'! Have fun and good luck!!!

Download the Poster in a PDF, take it into your school and let your friends have a go too!

Breakfast Rap Application Form

Please remember to fill in this application form and post it in with your 'Breakfast Rap'!

Balmoral Show 2010...

Initial plans are getting underway to create an innovative and exciting NI Experience for visitors to the Balmoral Show!

Watch this space.....

New contact details

Please use the details below if you wish to contact us:

Michele Shirlow, Lindsay Lyttle, Diane Eppleston

Food NI Ltd

Belfast Mills

2nd Floor

71-75 Percy Street

Belfast

BT13 2HW

Phone: 02890 249449

michele@nigoodfood.com

lindsay@nigoodfood.com

diane@nifda.co.uk

23 NI food companies lift nearly 50 Great Taste Awards!

An amazing 27 Northern Ireland food companies gained 56 gold awards, at the UK Great Taste Awards, considered the ‘Oscars' for the food and drink industry, in 2009.

The much coveted awards are organised annually by the Guild of Fine Foods and recognise innovation and quality product development, particularly by smaller companies.  Over 60 products were entered by local companies for consideration by a panel of  expert judges drawn together by the influential Guild of Fine Foods.

There are three levels of Great Taste Awards - single gold, double gold and triple gold, signifying outstanding excellence. The awards cover around 50 categories, ranging from traditional beverages such as tea and coffee, to chocolates, sauces, red meat, poultry and cheese.

The Northern Ireland winners covered most categories and this year included a number of larger companies such as Allied Bakeries in Belfast, Dungannon-based Linden Foods and Punjana, Northern Ireland's biggest selling tea company.

Local companies winning triple gold included:  The Offbeat Bottling Company in Bangor, for its Thick Cut Marmalade; Glen Tender in Gilford, fthe overall Northern Ireland winner for 21-day matured Aberdeen Angus Sirloin Steak; Crossgar Free Range Whole Duck and O'Kane, Ballymena, for Southern Fry Chicken Portions.

Among the smaller companies gaining an award for the first time were Hoy's Farmhouse Ice Cream in Ballyclare, for Diabetic Vanilla Ice Cream; Tamnagh Bakery, Claudy, for Challah Bread and Gracehill Fine Foods, Ballymena, for black pudding. P. McCann and Sons received an award for their Apple and Blackcurrant juice and Fivemiletown Creamery, Tyrone for their O'Reilly's Original, Boilie Goats Cheese and O'Reilly's Mustard.

White's, Tandragee took home an award for their 'Whole Organic Jumbo Oat Flakes' and 'Real Fruit Porridge in Cranberry, Apple and Cinnamon' and Blackthorn Foods in Belfast were awarded for their Handmade Butter Fudge.

At a reception organised by Invest Northern Ireland for the local winners, Minister Foster commender the local companies and said, "The Great Taste Awards are a measure of the quality of innovation within the food industry, especially within the small business sector. Winning a Great Taste Award is a testament to the consistently high standards our companies are achieving and sustaining, many in markets outside of Northern Ireland."

The 27 Northern Ireland companies competed against more than 1,000 companies from across the UK in the awards. Only 83 companies across the entire UK competition won the elite 3-star gold awards, which are presented for products considered by the judges to be 'exquisite' and 'faultless'.

On Top of the World - Dromona Declared World Champion Cheese

Locally produced Dromona Cheese has struck ‘Gold’ at the influential World Cheese Awards , held in Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, with international judges awarding Dale Farm’s Dromona Mature Cheese the highest grade possible - declaring it ‘Best in Category’ and therefore ‘Best in the World’! 

Uniting the opinion of judges from 24 nations across four continents, Dromona Cheese claimed four awards for its Mature and Medium cheddars. This brings the total number of major awards for this key Northern Irish agri-food brand to 13 in just six months including claiming six awards at the famous Frome Cheese Show and two at the revered Nantwich Cheese Show, as well as stealing gold at the Guild of Fine Foods’ Great Taste Awards.

The World Cheese Awards - regarded as the world’s largest cheese competition - saw 150 judges from across the globe sample almost 2,500 entries in a marathon tasting session before agreeing on the bronze, silver and gold winners.

Bringing together key cheese buyers and opinion formers for over twenty years, the awards are a critical platform for cheesemakers to promote their products to potential customers on a world stage. Dale Farm says winning these latest awards will help develop new sales in national and international markets.

“To be judged by some of the world’s most revered cheese connoisseurs and come away with a declaration of best in category proves Dromona Cheese is literally a ‘world class’ product ,” said Andrew Nethercott, Dale Farm’s commercial director.  

“Following significant investment over recent years we can now produce over 20,000 tonnes of cheese each year at our plant in Dunmanbridge near Cookstown. Hopefully these awards will help put Dromona Cheese on the world map and that senior buyers attending the awards will recognise that, although a dairy company from a small country, we have the capability and skill to produce some of the world’s best tasting cheese.”

Local Chefs swap spoons for spades as new campaign gets underway!

It's not every day you find a chef out of the kitchen and wandering through a field..... but recently, 13 chefs were spotted doing just that!

‘Back to our Roots' is a new initiative launched by the Ulster Farmers' Union, Botanic Inns and North Down Group to encourage the hospitality industry to take advantage of Northern Ireland's fresh seasonal local produce.

The campaign is being supported by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and Northern Ireland - Good Food is in our Nature and was launched to educate the industry on the seasonality and benefits of using locally produced fruit and vegetables.

Botanic Inns was the first company to announce that it is implementing the initiative across all its outlets.  The new campaign is calling on chefs from restaurants across Northern Ireland to be creative in increasing consumption of seasonal fruit and vegetables within their menus. To see the quality firsthand, chefs from across Botanic Inns' 13 outlets visited a series of local farms.

Commenting on the experience, Gordon Harvey, Quality Standards Manager, Botanic Inns, said; "Having visited a number of farms, our chefs have been able to meet our producers, learn about production systems, the high quality standards and the importance and benefits of using seasonal vegetables.  This experience has undoubtedly impacted our chefs who are fully committed to using local produce to vary and deliver quality dishes with seasonal vegetables throughout the year. At Botanic Inns we are always looking at ways that we can improve customer choice and quality and we believe this campaign is a great opportunity for us to provide a wonderful eating experience and at the same time support local commerce.  I would urge all those within the industry to follow our lead and avail of the fantastic resources that we have on our doorstep." 

Ulster Farmers' Union Deputy President Harry Sinclair added; "The UFU is delighted to support this campaign as it helps chefs understand and appreciate the origin of the produce they're using, and by using local produce in their dishes, this will greatly benefit producers and consumers alike. I am confident that consumers want to buy and eat locally produced food and in Northern Ireland we have an industry to be proud of. This initiative is an excellent starting point and will help promote what our local producers can offer."

Commenting on the campaign, Agriculture Minister Michelle Gildernew added: "The food service sector is a vital part of the food supply chain and the more knowledge our chefs and restaurateurs have of the local production enterprises the more likely we are to have fresh, local produce on our plates when we dine out. My Department has in recent years, taken producers to visit processors and retailers as part of our Supply Chain Awareness programmes and I am delighted we are continuing to support food-based initiatives like ‘Back to Our Roots' which promotes seasonal, local product and the farmers that produce it."

North Down Group Chairman, Perry Donaldson stated; "North Down Group are delighted to be involved in this "Back to our Roots" event.

"It makes a lot of sense in the present economic climate to offer locally produced fruit and vegetables to customers dining in the Botanic Inn establishments. The Produce grown in Northern Ireland can be harvested, delivered, prepared, cooked and served to customers within 24 hours. By serving local produce, restaurants and bars in Northern Ireland can help the local grower, the economy and provide the consumer with the best produce available. There is nothing better than tasty, full of flavour, locally produced fresh produce."

Glen Tender's Great Taste Success!

We are proud to announce that local beef supplier, Glen Tender Ltd, has won EIGHT awards at the prestigious Great Taste Awards 2009 held in London. The awards are often referred to as the Oscars of the food industry, so they can now say that they serve customers award winning beef!

Judges on the Great Taste Awards Blind Taste tests included Tom Parker-Bowles of UTV's Market Kitchen, Charles Campion from the Evening Standard and the Independent, Alex James, farmer, and incidentally bass drummer with Blur, Mark Hix, the chef's chef and national food journalist, Fiona Sims.

Glen Tender is a leading brand of specialist Northern Irish bred beef.
Matured for 21 days and known for its delicious mouth-watering taste and tenderness,Glen Tender's premium native bred cattle are reared using traditional, ethical methods ensuring all Glen Tender customers can enjoy a truly remarkable eating experience. 

Visit www.glentender.co.uk for more information or to buy award winning steak online! Glen Tender meat is also available at St. George's Market in Belfast!

Sainsbury's announces Dundonald Store!

Supermarket chain Sainsbury's have announced that they will be opening 3 new stores in Northern Ireland.

Plans are to be submitted to build a 60,000 sq ft store on the disused Rolls Royce site in Dundonald on the Upper Newtownards Road as part of a mixed use development which may incorporate a hotel and business units on the 17 acre site.

Earlier this year Sainsbury's opened a store in West Belfast and has new supermarkets planned for Carrickfergus, Bangor and Londonderry that will take its total number of stores in Northern Ireland to 15.

David Davidson, regional operations manager for Sainsbury's Northern Ireland said: "This new store announcement further highlights Sainsbury's commitment to Northern Ireland. It is good news for the local economy both in terms of job creation and supporting local suppliers. Sainsbury's already works with over 100 local suppliers and is looking forward to working with these and new local producers at the Dundonald store."

Fivemiletown Creamery 'Best New Supplier 2009'

Local dairy company Fivemiletown Creamery has been given the coveted New Supplier of the Year 2009 award by leading supermarket Sainsburys.

At a dinner hosted in London recently, Kevin McManus, sales manager for the creamery was presented the award by Mike Coupe, trading director for Sainsburys. The award came in recognition for products, Taste the Difference Ballyoak and the new An Brie Beag, 'the small brie' exclusive to the retailer last Christmas.

Mervyn McCaughey, managing director of Fivemiletown Creamery said, "We could not produce products of this standard without the quality of our raw materials and the skill of our cheesemakers. Made from milk, direct from our own farms, products like this are a perfect example of how we are adding value to our dairy products. We are very proud of our smoked brie and it continues to win awards across the globe annually."

With the annual industry cheese award judging season looming, the company is looking forward to another successful year of marked achievements.

Glastry scoop great deal with Musgrave Retail Partners!

Kircubbin ice-cream maker, Glastry Farm has scooped a great deal, having just signed up with Musgrave Retail Partners NI to have their luxury range of ice-cream stocked in SuperValu, Centra and Mace stores across Northern Ireland.

A range of mouth watering flavours to include Rhubarb & Ginger, Blueberry, and traditional favourites such as Vanilla and Honeycomb, will be available in more than 300 stores province-wide by the summer.

Deliveries of the product to stores will go from Musgrave's brand new £1.65 million 14,000 sq feet frozen warehouse in Belfast Harbour Estate which will service all the stores.

Miriam McAfee, Trading Manager, Musgrave Retail Partners said "We are delighted to be the first large retail group to stock Glastry Farm Ice Cream.  Will and his team have developed a high quality local product which we are proud to stock in our stores.  We look forward to continuing to work with Glastry Farm and working in partnership to help him grow his business.  We are very confident that given the quality of the product, as well as the fact it's local, the range will have great appeal among all our customers."

Will Taylor of Glastry Farm said: "Launching our product across Northern Ireland with Musgrave is something we are very excited about, not to mention being associated with the biggest retail group in Ireland.  We liked the local focus Musgrave have and the way they nurture and support smaller companies.  Having access to over 300 outlets is a fantastic opportunity for us, and we expect this new partnership to double our current sales levels as a result. "

Press Enjoy Good Food at Balmoral

The lead up to and post Balmoral Show brought positive publicity to the NI - Good Food is in our Nature campaign and its member companies.  A selection of the coverage is below:

Farm Week Article, 08 May 09

Farm Week Article 08 May 09

Irish Farmers Journal, 09 May 09

Farming Life, 13 May 09

Farm Week, 15th May 2009

Newsletter, 16 May 2009:

Farm Week, 22 May 2009

Sainsbury’s are putting Northern Ireland produce on Scottish Shelves

A number of Northern Irelands top food companies have signed a deal with Sainsbury's which will see their produce in stores as Scotland, as well as Northern Ireland.  FPNI members Mash Direct will extend their current Scottish offering to nine products, while Whites will bring their "Only Oats" range to Scotland for the first time.  Other companies involved in the deal are Tayto, Punjana, Morrow Foods and Largo Foods.

Michael McCambley (pictured left), the Northern Ireland commercial buyer for Sainsbury's said, "We are delighted to be expanding the range available from Northern Ireland suppliers in Scottish stores.  Local lines from Northern Ireland tend to do very well in Scotland.  It is a testament to the quality of the product available here."

Fivemiletown Creamery Success!

Congratulations to Fivemiletown Creamery on securing a contract with Sainsbury to supply 250 of their UK stores with the award winning Ballyoak smoked brie as part of the Sainsbury "Taste the Difference" range. 

Fivemiletown Creamery have shown that you really can taste the difference with their gourmet cheeses, as they already supply Sainsbury with their An Brie Beag product.

The cheese company who sell cheese to the French win on average 12 internationally acclaimed awards every year for their speciality cheeses. 

Long may their success continue!

Irwin’s Nutty Krust Wins the Public Vote

We put the question to the public - "What's your favourite?" And you responded in your thousands to show your support for the best of Northern Irish produce.  The votes were counted and it is now official, the people's favourite local product is Irwin's Nutty Krust! 

Coming a close second was Suki Teas Fairtrade Belfast Brew with Tayto Cheese and Onion crisps in third place.

Support was shown for long time favourites such as Causeway Prime Sirloin, Wilson's Potatoes, and Sunblest Veda, as well as delightfully innovative new products including Shazzam's More than Strawberry jam, Blackthorn's award winning fudge and Mash Directs Carrot and Parsnip. 

The product range was diverse and had something for everyone, be it Fivemiletown cheeses or O'Kane's Organic Turkey, Morelli ice-cream, Rosebank's Jersey Milk or McCann's Pure Apple Juice.

Irwin's Nutty Krust was awarded the Peoples Choice Award at the tenth annual Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association and Taste of Ulster Awards on Friday 13^th March at the Ramada Hotel. 

Thanks to all companies who put forward products.  Every vote cast made all entrants winners, and gave the public a chance to celebrate unique good tasting food. 

Above, Brian Irwin and Niall Irwin from Irwins Bakery with Food Promotions Chief Executive Michele Shirlow

Farmhouse Breakfast Week 25th – 31st January

The tenth annual Farmhouse Breakfast Week ran from 25^th to 31^st of January, with Northern Ireland leading the way in the Breakfast stakes.  World famous for its Ulster fry, the region has the highest statistic of having a family breakfast in the UK, with 37% of families sitting down for breakfast together in the morning, compared with just 18% in the UK.

This is great news as the health benefits associated with eating breakfast make it the most important meal of the day.  And with a great variety of fresh, local produce on offer, ranging from unique Irwins breads, Whites Speedicook porridge, Ulster bacon and Skea eggs, there's never been a better time to enjoy a good breakfast.

To celebrate Farmhouse Breakfast week, and encourage more people to take advantage of the great produce on offer, celebrity chef Jenny Bristow gave a cookery demonstration at Oakwood Integrated Primary School.  Supported by the Ulster Farmers Union, the Ulster Pork and Bacon Forum, as well as Food Promotion NI, the event was a huge success with Jenny cooking up favourites such as Irish Soda Bread with toppings, baked eggs and bacon, and for the more health conscious, apple and cinnamon milkshake and a healthy Ulster breakfast. 

Great breakfast products such as McCanns apple juice, Suki tea, Shazzam jams and marmalades and Clandeboye yogurt were also sampled with the cooked produce at Tesco stores in Newtownbreda and Springhill.

Breakfast week highlighted the importance of making time for a healthy start to the day, as well as demonstrating the range and quality of regional produce available.  Terry Wogan supported the campaign throughout the week and received a hamper of the best Northern Irish produce to enjoy.

(Above) TV Chef Jenny Bristow joins Oakwood PS pupils Ethan Johnston Aisling O'Neill and Emily Marshall to help launch Farmhouse Breakfast Week

Ulster Grocer Christmas Poster

Christmas products from 30 local companies will be featured on a Northern Ireland "Good Food is in Our Nature" poster. This demonstrates the excellent produce that Northern Ireland has to offer for a "Good Food is in Our Nature" Christmas!

Mash Direct Winners of Small Company of the Year

Congratulations to Mash Direct for their success in winning the Small Company of the Year Award at the UK Food Manufacture Excellence Awards. Pictured, Tracy Hamilton accepts the award on behalf of Mash Direct. It is a fantastic accolade for this Northern Ireland Company to be acknowledged for their innovative approach.

Put the best of food in your north (and south)

- Cooking with Gas: At the Good Food is in Our Nature mobile kitchen in Asda's Strabane store are, from left, the supermarket's buyer from Northern Ireland and Scotland Mervyn Jones, Asda Strabane trading manager George Early and Michele Shirlow, Chief executive of Food Promotion NI campaign, chefs visited five Asda stores to demonstrate to customers how to cook a tasty three-course meal using only locally produced ingredients.  The campaign also aims to help consumers identify and purchase produce made by the north's manufacturers with regionally sourced ingredients.  

ASDA Serves Up The ‘Best of Local’ To Customers

Retailer ASDA demonstrated its continued commitment to local sourcing this week by hosting a number of in-store cookery exhibitions showcasing the best of local produce. As part of Food Promotion NI's ‘ Northern Ireland Good Food is in Our Nature' campaign, local chefs visited five ASDA stores demonstrating to customers how to cook a tasty three course meal, using only locally produced  ingredients.

Tempting customers across the aisles with delicious aromas, the chefs cooked up a host of mouth-watering offerings including steak pieces on stone-baked bread, honey lamb chops and bread and butter pudding. Customers were able to sample the Northern Irish menu and the chef was on hand to answer any questions on getting the best flavours out of NI fare.

ASDA has supported the ‘Good Food is in Our Nature' campaign since its launch in February this year , introducing  a variety of in-store signage to raise awareness of the range of local products sold in its 13 Northern Ireland outlets. The campaign, which is designed to recognise the world-class quality of NI food, also aims to help consumers identify and purchase produce made by local manufacturers with local ingredients.

ASDA buyer for Northern Ireland and Scotland Mervyn Jones said ASDA is delighted to be involved in the initiative. "Good Food is in Our Nature is a fantastic campaign highlighting to the people of NI that they need look no further than their ‘own back yard' for delicious top quality food and drink and hopefully after today's event they'll also have some great ideas on how to prepare them! Since ASDA arrived in Northern Ireland in 2005 we have sought to grow and develop our relationships with local suppliers. Since then we have succeeded in increasing our local sourcing by over 40%- a figure which we hope to grow even further in the future."

Michele Shirlow chief executive of Food Promotion NI said: "We are thrilled to have ASDA's support for this important campaign. Whilst Northern Ireland is recognised as a global competitor in food and drink export, it is always good to remind the people of Northern Ireland of the benefits of buying local. So with 13 stores across Northern Ireland and such a wide-ranging in-store promotional programme, ASDA's involvement has really helped us to get the message to consumers that food grown locally is some of the best in the world."

The cookery and sampling events follow on from a busy month of local supplier activity for ASDA including its annual Supplier Awards which recognise achievement by new and existing NI suppliers, and ASDA's ‘Local Week' celebrating the best of local produce with in-store customer offers, competitions and sampling, as well as new local suppliers introduced to ASDA stores across the province.

For further information please contact Kelly McKee or Keelin Kelly at Morrow Communications on 02890 393837 or k.mckee@morrowcommunications.com   

ASDA has committed to supporting the Good Food is in our Nature the campaign throughout its initial three-year duration, by encouraging shoppers to buy local. 

Food Promotion Northern Ireland is company limited by guarantee formed voluntarily by a consortium of leading food sector representatives to take advantage of the opportunity to develop a positive identity for high quality food from Northern Ireland.

For further information regarding the Northern Ireland Good Food is in our Nature campaign visit www.nigoodfood.com

Northern Ireland... naturally good food!

Up until recently, there has never been a generic marketing campaign that crossed all sectors from primary producers through processors to retailers to promote Northern Ireland's agri-food industry, which is valued at 1.8 billion pounds annually (2.5 billion pounds when drinks included). All that has changed, however, with the formation last year of Food Promotion Northern Ireland Ltd (FPNI). The establishment of FPNI was not a spur of the moment idea -in fact, the new company is the result of several years of in-depth research and consultation involving all the key stakeholders in the Northern Ireland food and drink industry, beginning six years ago when the then agriculture minister, Ian Pearson, established the Food Strategy Group under the chairmanship of former Bord Bia Chief Executive Dan Flinter. - Kathy Jensen

For full article, click link below.

Hillsborough Garden Show

Miss it and you'll miss out!

Growing good food is in our nature at IFEX

THE IFEX exhibition, held recently in Belfast, saw a growing ‘Good Food is in Our Nature' presence with a number of ‘Good Food' members not only exhibiting, but also winning awards and growing good business.  The Northern Ireland Good Food is in our Nature members included overall winner McCann's, who scooped up prizes in three prestigious categories including Overall Product Award, Winner Best Product Retail, and Winner Best Product Food Service.  Speaking at the show Oliver McCann, managing director, said ‘Winning these awards is recognition of the excellent fresh local products we have developed for local consumers. I am delighted, not just for McCann's, but for the whole of the apple growing industry in Armagh."   

For full article, click link below.

FPNI campaign is well received

FOOD Promotion Northern Ireland (FPNI) chief executive Michele Shirlow, has told Farming Life that the organisation's ‘Good Food is in Our Nature' campaign is exceeding all initial expectations. "Our current television campaign comes off air later this month but will kick-in again come the autumn," she added. We have been bowled over with the positive response received from the media and a range of organisations with a key role to play in communicating the value of locally-produced food. A case in point is the Consumer Council, courtesy of the commitment, to feature our television advertisement on its Eco website. "The initiative that we have shown is paying dividend but it's important that all of this is now built upon for the future."    -Richard Halloran

For full article, click link below.

Let's put best NI food producers centre stage

GOOD food is in our nature' is the slogan the admen conjured up to remind us of just how good our home-produced food is. You can imagine them sitting in their offices throwing words and phrases around to finally come up with the simple telling message. It's effective, but its regular appearance now on our local TV screens needs a boost in some way that will heighten the relationship between our lustrous super green meadows, our scrubbed cows and blow-dried sheep, the polished cooking apples, our cloudless blue skies -the farmers. A current UK cookery competition appearing at an awkward time for many -BBC 6:30pm weekdays -has been charting the progress of a succession of chefs from around the UK in a competition which will finally decide who's the best chef in the country. We have had the Irish contribution, assorted English, and lately the Welsh. I am looking forward to more, not just in terms of the sheer sleight of hand of the professional chef, but also for the occasional glimpses of the producers.     -Niki Hill

For full atricle, click link below.

Food for thought...

As a man who enjoys his grub I warmly welcome the major new campaign focusing on home-grown food. But seriously, any initiative to promote one of our strongest products deserves all the support it can get.  The Good Food Is In Our Nature campaign is aimed at capturing the hearts of Northern Ireland shoppers. And let's hope it does.  Food makes a significant contribution to our economy, and if people buy local its impact will be even greater.  During a visit to Paris a few years ago I popped along to a supermarket to look for some cheese. Naturally, there was a mountain of it in the store, but I quickly discovered 99% of it was produced in France.  I'm not saying our supermarket shelves should be as insular as that, but it would be good to see more ‘made in Northern Ireland' products on them.  The fresh campaign has been created by Food Promotion Northern Ireland, a powerful new alliance featuring representatives from major retailers and producers. It's fair to say that their endorsement alone should help it to thrive.   - Nigel Tilson, Business Editor

Consumer urged to back local bacon

The Ulster Farmers' Union is encouraging consumers to think carefully about the pork and bacon products they buy at the supermarket. Many consumers like to purchase local pork and bacon because they know that it has been sourced in Northern Ireland and has been produced to the highest quality standards in Europe.  The UFU has urged consumers to look for genuinely local pork and bacon products, and to use the newly-launched ‘Northern Ireland Good Food is in Our Nature' label as a tool to help them pick local product.  UFU Pork and Bacon policy committee chairman, Raymond Pogue, said: "The question is, how can we be sure that the product we buy is local? There are many well-known brands for sale which are associated with Northern Ireland, but often product is imported from Europe and beyond. We want consumers to be able to make an informed choice so that they can be sure they are getting the highest quality local produce if that is what they want to buy" Mr. Pogue added: "Local pig producers incur higher costs in order to supply a quality assured product, but they find themselves competing with cheaper imported producer that in many cases does not meet the same quality standards as our local port and bacon.  The Good Food is in Our Nature bran was launched this week and it gives a unique opportunity for local retailers and processors to provide an assurance that their product is local.  This is one way of keeping consumers informed about exactly what they are eating. We would encourage consumers to think before they buy and if they are in any doubt as to where the product originated, be sure to ask retail staff." "It is important that consumers don't take quality local produce for granted. The current economics in the pig sector mean that many local farmers are considering exiting the industry, which could ultimately deprive consumers of the high quality local choice which they currently enjoy."

Consumers key to future of home-grown produce

A HOME-GROWN campaign to capture the hearts of Northern Ireland food shoppers has been endorsed by the major supermarkets and local retailers.  It will have far-reaching impacts on the environment, on health of the nation and on producers, says the body behind the most significant scheme for decades in the food industry.  The campaign, whose slogan is: ‘Good Food is in Our Nature', has been created by Food Promotion Northern Ireland (FPNI), a powerful new alliance which includes top level representatives from the retail industry including Asda, Food Force, Musgrave Retail Partners, Sainsbury and Tesco as well as producers and organisations including Moypark, UFU, Livestock and Meat Commission, Dairy Council, Pork & Bacon Forum and Organics.  Chaired by Ulster Farmer's Union chief executive, Clarke Black, the group says the campaign which is backed by a £400,000 television as campaign which started this week, is intended to highlight the passion that the local industry here puts into producing world class food and to provide food shoppers with a clear means which identifies the product as home-grown.

To read full article, click link below.

Local food is top nosh

CAMPAIGN to promote homegrown food in Northern Ireland was launched yesterday. The Good Food Is In Our Nature campaign has been created by Food Promotion Northern Ireland and includes leading supermarkets Sainsbury, Asda and Tesco. It aims to highlight the passion local industries put into producing world class food.

Big push on for local food

A MAJOR new campaign to promote homegrown food has been launched. The initiative - aimed at capturing the hearts of Northern Ireland shoppers - is being endorsed by major supermarkets and independent retailers as well as producers.  The campaign - entitled Good Food is in Our Nature - has been created by food Promotion Northern Ireland, a powerful new alliance. The alliance includes representatives of retailers, including Sainsbury's, Asda and Tesco, as well as producers like Moy Park, the Ulster Farmer's Union, Livestock and Meat Commission, Dairy Council, Pork & Bacon Forum and Organics.  Chaired by UFU chief executive Clarke Black, the group is funding a £400,000 advertising campaign to highlight the passion the local industry puts into producing world class food. It would provide shoppers with a means of identifying products as homegrown, said Mr. Black.     -Nigel Tilson, Business Editor

Opening a window of opportunity for local produce

At the launch of the Northern Ireland Good Food is in Our Nature campaign in Belfast were Clarke Black of the Ulster Farmers' Union and Rex Humphrey (right) of Food Promotion Northern Ireland, the organisations behind the initiative

Food campaign aims to promote north's produce

A NEW campaign hopes to revitalise the north's agri-food sector through support from the region's consumers. ‘Northern Ireland- Good Food is in Our Nature' was launched yesterday in Belfast, heralding the formation of a new alliance which includes farmers, processors, and retailers.  Featuring a £400,000 TV Advert which received its first airing earlier this week, the campaign aims to provide food shoppers with a clear means of identifying products as home-grown.  Backed by retailers Tesco, Asda, Musgrave and Sainsbury's and supported by food processors, the campaign is being spearheaded by newly formed company Food Promotion Northern Ireland (FPNI). The initiative also has blessing of the Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) as well as industry bodies the Livestock and Meat Commission, Dairy Council and the Pork & Bacon Forum.  Participating in the campaign is open to all eligible food and drink producers in Northern Ireland who use local ingredients where at all possible.  Around 50 producers have already signed up to initiative and FPNI are confident they can double this figure over the next six months.  FPNI chairman and UFU chief executive Clarke Black said the campaign was an opportunity for consumers to reconnect with local food.     - Donna McCusker

To read full article, click link below.

Good Food Is In Our Nature campaign launch, Apartment Bar, Belfast

Good food campaing gets seal of approval

Local and national food producers and retailers yesterday threw their weight behind a campaign haled as one of the most significant events in the history of the industry.  With potentially enormous implications for business, individual health and the environment, the campaign slogan: Good Food is in Our Nature, has the backing of the UK supermarkets as well as local retailers and producers in a bid to capture the hearts of Northern Ireland food shoppers and boost demand for local produce.  The campaign is championed by Food Promotion Northern Ireland (FPNI), a new alliance comprising retailers such as Asda, Food Force, Musgrave Retail Partners, Sainsbury and Tesco and producer groups including Moypark, the UFU, the Livestock & Meat Commission, the Dairy Council, the Pork & Bacon Forum and Organics.  Yesterday, FPNI chief executive Michele Shirlow said the campaign was a real and meaningful effort to boost a sector already worth £2.5bn and which provides more than 66,000 full and part-time jobs.  "This is much more than a charm offensive. It is a scheme which performs as a strong marketing tool aimed directly at the consumers but as well as this is the first time there has been a coordinated way for consumers to connect confidently with out excellent local producers which is jointly endorsed by the major supermarkets." "Two years ago a group involving everyone in the industry sat down to see how to create something which would benefit everyone and put Northern Ireland food on the map, and this is the result; a fantastic and unprecedented alliance between Ulster food producers and retailers."      -Richard Sherriff, Business Correspondent

Shoppers urged to buy local product

Food producers, processors and retailers are to fund a new marketing campaign urging shoppers to buy more Northern Ireland produce.  ‘Northern Ireland- Good Food is in Or Nature' will be launched next February with a major ad campaign and point of sale branding aimed at the domestic market. So far £800,000 from retailers and various food promotion bodies has been pledged to the campaign, which will be managed by newly-formed company Food Promotion Northern Ireland (FPNI).  The establishment of FPNI signals the end for the Food Strategy Implementation Partnership (FSIP), the body headed by former Enterprise Ireland chief executive Dan Flinter, which was set up in 2004 to help the north's agri-food sector meet the challenges of the 21^st century.  The sector employs around 40,000 people in Northern Ireland is the largest component of the region's private sector economy.  Details were outlined yesterday to more than 80 representatives from the sector, including retailers.     -John Manley

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Time to get behind 'good food is in our nature'

‘Northern Ireland- Good Food is in Our Nature', the Brand, was unveiled to local agri-food representatives this week.  The new brand for the local food is the result of extensive research and has been robustly tested with local consumers, who responded very positively to the message.  The campaign and use of the Brand will be open only to products which are genuinely local; produced on local farms unless the product isn't available locally.  A new company Food Promotion NI, has been formed to oversee the campaign which will see at least £800,000 invested over the next three years.  A television advertising campaign will go live in February 2008. Founder members of the campaign are the Ulster Farmers' Union, Dairy Council NI, Ulster Pork and Bacon Forum, LMC, United Irish Organics and representatives of NIFDA. UFU chief Executive Clarke Black has been appointed Chairman of Food Promotion NI. This is an exciting campaign to promote the purchase of food produced on our farms. There is no Government assistance, the program entirely funded by the industry, so our task is to maximize its impact. The campaign will be as successful as we collectively make it.  So if you have a product which would qualify for the Brand; ‘Northern Ireland- Good Food is in Our Nature', then contact the campaign by speaking to Michele Shirlow.

Food promotion campaign gets tough as sales drive kicks off

The Campaign is being managed by Food Promotion Northern Ireland (FPNI). Dan Flinter, chairman, said that many of the large retailers has already signed up- and "almost all" were expected to do so by next February's launch date.  Speaking this week to more than 80 representatives from the agri-food sector, Mr. Flinter said that the campaign was an "vital dynamic" in a  strategy  to promote local produce. Clarke Black added that the campaign had been "well-researched and thoroughly tested".  "It is targeted at consumers and implemented by the industry and retailers for the benefit of the entire industry." He said.  "Food Promotion NI is a unique coalition of interest willing to invest in a joint solution for the benefit of the entire supply chain." The campaign is expected to run for three years already has funding of £800,000 (which can be added to later) to pay for advertising. Due to EU "state aid" issues, it is fully funded by the food industry with no Government money involved.  Membership is open to everyone "who supports the spirit of the campaign" and is expected to include retailers form the large supermarkets all the way down to local butchers.     -Cliff Donaldson

Good promotion campaign gets tough as sales drive kicks off

Strict rules governing what is and what isn't Northern Ireland food has thrown up a few surprises among products put forward for inclusion in a high-profile advertising campaign.  The campaign- Northern Ireland, Good Food is in Our Nature- is scheduled to kick-off next February with a series of television commercials. These will be backed up with "point-of-sale" promotions in stores to encourage consumers to choose local products.  Processors and retailers wishing to use the distinctive "Good Food" logo on their packaging must ensure that the food complies with exact guidelines laid down by the organisers. These guidelines state that businesses who wish to participate must ensure the food "uses local products where at all possible". To date a number of applications have already been turned down because they fell short of the criteria. UFU chief executive Clarke Black one of the organisers behind the sales drive, says this is already having a positive spin-off for producers. "The campaign has a simple and straightforward definition of what is eligible food" he said. "Basically if it can be sourced here then it much be sourced here -for example, in the case of beef, animals must have been reared on Northern Ireland farms." Some companies who have products turned down have asked for advice about what they can change to have them included -which is good news for farmers."     -Cliff Donaldson

£800k bid to boost NI food

The various sectors making up Northern Ireland's food industry have joined forces to fund a three-year food promotional campaign, designed to communicate all that is good about locally-produced food to the Province's buying public.  The initiative which has been funded entirely by the private sector to the tune of £800,000, will be coordinated by a new body -Food Promotion Northern Ireland (FPNI).  Yesterday's launch represented the culmination of the activity undertaken over the past three years by the Food Strategy Implementation Partnership.  Set up as a company limited by guarantee, FPNI will be chaired by Ulster Farmers' Union Chief executive, Clark Black. "The campaign will be centered on the strap line: Northern Ireland -Good Food is in Out Nature," he told Farming Life. "This exciting initiative offers the entire food industry a remarkable opportunity to become involved in a unique advertising campaign, driven and supported by the entire supply chain, from farmer to retailer."  The FPNI chairman further confirmed that the money secured to date had been contributed by all the various sectors with in the agri-food industry, including UFU, processors and a number of retailers.

-Richard Halloran

Three-year bid to boost NI food

"So, by the time of next year's promotional launch, the funds available for promotion may well exceed the money already committed." FPNI will be structured around a core membership made up of the Ulster Framers' Union, the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (NIFDA), the Dairy Council for NI, the Pork and Bacon Forum, LMC and United Irish Organics.  "We already have support from a number of key processors and multiple retailers," added Clarke Black, "but we want to make the work of FPNI as inclusive as possible. Yes it is important to have all of the major retailers and the large processing operations on board. However, we also need the support of those small businesses, both processing and retailing, that are at the very heart of the local food industry."