Media release: Scottish Bakers lays out ‘the ingredients for success’ in its 2021 manifesto

WITH campaigning for the upcoming Scottish Parliament elections in full swing, Scottish Bakers, which represents the interests of bakers in Scotland, has launched its own manifesto outlining what it sees as the main ingredients for success for the sector as the economy and our communities start to come out of the COVID pandemic.

Chief executive, Alasdair Smith, says: “Every year, Scottish bakers deliver over £1 billion into the economy, approximately one fifth of all food and drink manufacturing. To get to this position has taken hard work, expertise, and innovation.

“In recent years, our members have led the way in reducing food waste and reformulating recipes for health. And in the last year, through the pandemic, our members have gone above and beyond to support the communities they serve – offering creative delivery options and donating to our key workers.

“Our bakers employ over 11,000 people across the whole of Scotland, making them essential employers in some of Scotland’s most remote communities and rural areas as well as being a welcome sight on all of our high streets.

“Our industry is highly-skilled and we are now called upon by other food and drink manufacturing businesses, who see our training arm, NFDT, as a key aid to help them emulate our success.”

To ensure this success continues and that the sector continues to thrive, Scottish Bakers is calling for:

* Support growth across the sector which needs time and access to support to recover fully from the impact of COVID. We need the government to continue to support the wider food and drink sector to allow us to realise our ambitions for growth and that need the government to pauses all regulatory or policy changes that will damage our sector.

In return, Scottish Bakers will continue to deliver tangible value and benefits to the economy that promote sustainability and growth.

* Continue to promote and fund apprenticeships to bring new entrants into the sector, allowing upskilling and productivity benefits to be realised.

In return, Scottish Bakers will support high-quality apprenticeships and skills training for the whole food and drink sector in Scotland.

* Invest in low-carbon energy to help the sector transition and bring forward policies that support members in their move to reduce their environmental impacts without affecting operations.

In return, Scottish Bakers will work hard to reduce food waste, embrace renewable energy and innovate when it comes to the packaging of its products.

* Promote health and wellbeing by means of evidenced based decisions which support businesses as well as being brave enough to place some of the focus on personal responsibility.

In return, Scottish Bakers will work with its members to reduce waste alongside levels of sugar, salt and fat wherever possible.

Our sector in numbers:

• 30 million iconic Scotch Pies manufactured and sold by our members, annually;

• Our members represent 35 per cent of all food manufacturing businesses in Scotland;

• 18 per cent of food manufacturing revenue is delivered by our members;

• Bakers represent 29 per cent of the GVA of all Scotland’s food manufacturing; and

• Our members provide 34 per cent of jobs in Scotland’s food manufacturing sector, more than any other sub-sector.

The manifesto can be found here: www.scottishbakers.org

ENDS

Notes for editors:

Scottish Bakers has been supporting and protecting the interests of Scotland’s bakery trade for 130 years.

Scottish Bakers’ core purpose is to promote and protect the interests of the trade; representing, advising and supporting all aspects of Scotland’s baking industry to ensure it remains competitive and equipped for growth.

It does this by providing the widest possible range of benefits that help its members sustain and grow their businesses, including: skills development, technical information and assistance, competitions, sector intelligence, legal advice, financial discounts, and social and business networking.

Scottish Bakers manages both The World Championship Scotch Pie Awards and The Scottish Baker of the Year Awards each year to recognise and celebrate excellence in the sector.

But, most importantly, Scottish Bakers belongs to its members; it is there for their benefit and is proud of its motto, ‘for the good of all’.

www.scottishbakers.org

NFDT has over 20 years’ experience in the delivery of work-based learning.

NFDT was created in April 2015, with the aim of widening the scope of Scottish Bakers’ training arm to offer workplace training solutions for the whole food and drink sector throughout the UK.

NFDT courses are designed to help the food and drink industry become more competitive and sustainable by developing the skills and knowledge of its workforce. They are supported by a wide range of support materials, including an online food and drink training academy.

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Contact: Julie Fourcade
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