Promoting Northumbrian food
A new sch
eme, celebrating and promoting food and drink produced entirely in Northumberland, has recently been officially launched. ‘Produced in Northumberland` is a joint initiative between Northumberland County Council, Active Northumberland and Northumberland Tourism, which recognises producers and businesses that use and promote food and drink made in the county.
The economic impact of food tourism in the county is worth nearly £276m a year and it is hoped the scheme will help to add value to the visitors’ overall experience as food and drink is such an important and memorable part of their visit.
Producers will have to prove to visiting Trading Standards and Environmental Health staff that the food and drink is made in Northumberland. For butchers, checks will also be carried out on the origin of the animals from which their meat comes.
B&Bs and other hospitality businesses will have to demonstrate that a certain number of main foods being used on their menus is produced in Northumberland. Businesses will then be able to display their official “Produced in Northumberland” certificate in their shop, restaurant or B&B, use the logo on their labels, websites and literature and they will also feature in a bespoke website. 
20 businesses have signed up to the scheme and the ultimate aim is national recognition of the unique regional distinctiveness of the county’s food and drink.
Councillor Dave Ledger, Deputy Leader of Northumberland County Council said: “By being a truly verified and audited scheme this will raise people’s confidence in the origin of our food and drink.
“We hope that by encouraging local businesses to use Northumberland produce it will help reduce food miles, lead to increased production and sales within the local economy and ultimately create more jobs in an area that relies heavily on tourism.”
Councillor Val Tyler, Cabinet Member for Arts, Leisure and Culture added: “We have a fantastic range of quality ingredients produced and available across our county and we want as many people as possible to try them.”
Jude Leitch, Director of Northumberland Tourism said: “We know that visitors to Northumberland are looking for authentic experiences that can only be found here.”
Businesses interested in finding out more about the scheme can contact ken.henderson@northumberland.gov.uk or dgoodwill-evans@activenorthumberland.org.uk
