A voluntary code of practice for origin declarations on menus
As part of a National Food Policy secondment to the Scottish Government, SFQC developed this one-stop website for caterers and others involved in the foodservice sector. The work involved reviewing the wide range of issues surrounding food and drink origin labelling, consulting with trade bodies and organisations across the UK, creating the toolkit content, trialling this with catering businesses and enabling the launch of the website in March 2010 at National Gallery for Scotland by Richard Lochhead. The keynote speaker was Shirley Spears of the Three Chimneys in Skye.
What does the guide aim to do?
- To encourage clear, accurate and consistent information for consumers when eating out.
- To increase the proportion of local food use and enhance origin labelling in foodservice (i.e. on menus).
- To enable caterers to allow consumers to make informed choices.
- Support the quality, provenance and reputation strands of the Scottish Government's National Food & Drink Policy.
- To stimulate interest, and address consumer confusion about Scottish origin labelling.
Who is toolkit aimed at?
- Caterers; as a single source of reference for guidance when compiling origin declarations on menus and to encourage them to do so.
- Enforcement agencies such as Environmental Health or Trading Standards Officers, and relevant Quality Scheme inspectors / auditors who may verify menu declarations during premises inspections; as a reference point.
- Consumers; for those interested in the topic to inform themselves about what menu origin declarations actually mean. May be local or tourists.
Delivered with ongoing industry support, the toolkit can be found at: http://www.provenanceonaplate.co.uk/