Food appearing on menus that is grown, reared, or produced in Scotland is more likely to be snapped up by almost two thirds (64%) of out-of-home consumers, new research from The Knowledge Bank, part of Scotland Food & Drink, has revealed.
The research surveyed 1,000 consumers focused on the following areas: Scots, British visitors to Scotland, Londoners and Regional hubs in England and Wales (Birmingham, Cardiff, Leeds, Manchester).
Coming as a timely boost to the Scottish food and drink sector, the Provenance & Foodservices report used cutting-edge AI technology to scour 110 sources across nine sourcing areas of market research as well as analysing a series of interviews conducted with 14 industry experts including Scotland’s National Chef Gary Maclean along with a range of purchasing managers, chefs and heads of commercial initiatives.
The AI tool, powered by discovery.ai in a research project led by Sketch Insight, was then able to draw inspiring themes linked specifically to Scottish food and drink out-of-home experiences, named “sparks”.
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The research has revealed that provenance is playing a pivotal role for consumers and restaurant-goers are increasingly determined to enjoy Scottish products, but there are still untapped opportunities in this channel.
What’s more, the growing power of Scotland’s brand has meant that 42% of diners surveyed are happy to pay a premium for Scottish produce.
Scotch lamb (74%) and beef (71%) top the charts, ahead of the more renowned whisky and salmon, highlighting substantial value potential for businesses to capitalise on.
The top categories vary by groups of consumers surveyed with for examples Scots particularly open to pay a premium on white fish such as haddock.
Tourists also have their part to play in boosting the popularity of Scottish produce, with 87% of them more likely to buy Scottish food when dining out.
These findings were discussed at the recent Scotland Food & Drink Summit where The Knowledge Bank team launched the research and hosted a panel with experts from across the food and drink sector.
More details will be shared in a The Knowledge Bank webinar on October 17, open to the Scottish food and drink industry (sign up here).
Anne-Laure Farrar, UK Market Insight Manager at The Knowledge Bank, is encouraged by the popularity of domestically produced food highlighted by the research in this latest report.
She said: “Provenance of Scottish products, such as whisky or salmon, has always played a huge part in our nation’s food and drink story.
“But it’s wonderful to see this evolve and develop to a point where the diverse range of Scottish products available in our nation’s restaurants and cafes is garnering more and more attention from diners.
“While countries like Italy, Spain and France have long had people raving about the history and heritage associated with their food and drink, Scotland’s recognition has been limited to a few specific categories. But the country is, quite rightly, shedding this outdated reputation as a culinarily limited destination.
“I truly believe we have one of the best natural larders in the world and it’s wonderful to see innovative and determined Scottish businesses working hard to reinvent our national brand in the eyes of consumers.
“It is why we value this research so much, these trends are helping pave the way for our companies to diversify their products and offerings to reach new audiences interested in that taste of Scotland. With the Out-of-Home channel sometimes appearing too complex to reach, we hope we’ll inspire more businesses to explore this channel.”
Fiona Richmond, Head of Regional Food, Scotland Food & Drink, was heartened by the research, but stressed that Scottish businesses can do even more to take advantage of these trends and boost the value of Scottish provenance.
She said: “Scotland has a remarkable opportunity to capitalise on its rich provenance and food and drink story.
“Across retail and foodservice, to trade and consumers, there’s still much to do to tell that story, and in a consistent, accessible and impactful way”.
This research aligns with an exciting programme of activities from Scotland Food & Drink focused on foodservices.
