Following the Paralympic Games closing ceremony She said: “The big question this autumn is what will the legacy of the Olympics be?”
She believes there are five key points to take from the successes of 2012 and on which to build for the future:
· The Olympics have made ‘Britain’ one of the most valuable brands in the world. Retailers, caterers and producers can capitalise on this by putting the spotlight on their British credentials. ‘Local’ and ‘Regional’ have their place but let’s do more to shout about British food.
· Stop gold-plating EU regulations that make the promotion of Britishness difficult. This is particularly throttling for Britain’s food industry as our main producer groups are funded by a levy from farmers and therefore fall within state aid regulations. These restrict them from giving a clear ‘buy British’ message to the consumer.
· Relax the LOCOG branding regulations that prevent the many British food and drink producers and caterers who supplied the Olympics from using their London 2012 credentials to promote themselves and win new customers.
· Don’t wait for the next sporting event or jubilee for another big promotion of British food. Patriotic food promotions work. Love British Food runs year-round and British Food Fortnight returns to its traditional autumn date next year (September 21st to October 6th 2013).
· And finally, perhaps it is time to appoint a British Food Tsar in the same way that Boris has appointed a London Food Tsar.
Love British Food 2012 saw major names in retail and food service running British food promotions during the Olympics.
Robinson said: “The promotion was a resounding success, particularly in the catering sector, with sales increases and positive customer feedback across the board.”
In food service, all the biggest organisations united behind Love British Food 2012 in the strongest line-up in the national food promotion’s 11 year history. Led by Aramark, the event’s Flagship Sponsor, 3663, Brakes, Compass Group, E-Foods, Harrison Catering and Sodexo all took part as Official Partners and bought patriotic celebrations into staff restaurants and food outlets across the country.
For further information see www.lovebritishfood.co.uk