Three new categories have been added to this year’s Scotland Food & Drink Awards to recognise product innovation, skills development and food & drink tourism’s role in Scotland’s £7.5 billion food and drink industry.

The 2009 staging of the industry’s major award scheme will also have two overall winners - Product of the Year and Business of the Year.

There are sixteen individual categories for the awards, including the new awards and they embrace retail, food service, healthy eating, international business, marketing initiative, success through partnership working and environmental sustainability.

Gareth Baird, Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS) director with responsibility for food and drink, said: “Each year we aim to ensure the awards are relevant to the contemporary food and drink industry and the 2009 awards are already stimulating much interest. More and more companies are realising the commercial and promotional value of entering.”

Paul McLaughlin, chief executive, Scotland Food & Drink, said: “These awards are eagerly anticipated by the industry. This year we are recognising the innovation that abounds in the sector with a new award and we have also taken into account the role of food and drink in Scottish tourism as well as the importance of companies benefiting through the improvement of management and staff skills.

“By having two overall awards we are separately rewarding combinations of taste and imagination plus business, marketing and management flair.”

The Product of the Year award will be selected by a tasting panel from the retail categories of soup, preserves and accompaniments, fish and seafood, bakery and cereal based, meat, drink, fruit and vegetable, dairy, confectionery and snacking plus food service, product innovation and healthy eating.

Food and drink businesses throughout Scotland are being invited to enter for the 2009 awards which will culminate in a presentation ceremony in Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Museum on May 7.

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