UK’s first national provenance center looks to food and drink industry transparency
Food provenance company, Happerley, revealed its plans to create an independent food and leisure destination that it wants to become ‘an epicenter of food transparency in England.’
Situated at Lock29, in Banbury’s Castle Quay, Oxfordshire, Happerley England will give farmers, suppliers and producers a platform to champion their ‘Gold Standard’ produce, accorded only to food and drink producers able to name the exact sources of their core ingredients back to the primary producers.
Developed in the context of the growing phenomenon of interest in food and drink and demand for transparency that is sweeping the UK, Happerley England said it will offer an insight into English food and drink production and producers.
The plans were announced during a launch event last week at the farm where it all began for Happerley’s founder and CEO, Matthew Rymer.
Rymer said, “Happerley England is a focus, a celebration and a center for the very finest food and drinks that have complete provenance. In too many cases the consumer is being misled and to my mind, it should be a basic right and expectation for the consumer to know where the food and drink they’ve purchased has come from.
“The reality of food production is being smoke screened, you’d be surprised how many brands do not want to identify their supply chain. Happerley England stands for delivering honesty and communicating that on behalf of everyone; it’s a beacon of transparency.”
Procurement requirement
Qing Lin, CEO of Join In China, a Chinese food and drink agency, was on a discussion panel at the event, and explained how Happerley England will become a procurement requirement for food and drink exports to the Chinese market, securing British advantage in this fast growing market post-Brexit.
She said, “The Chinese love anything that is made in the UK so this is a fantastic opportunity for small producers to sell their products to the Asian market, as being able to prove the traceability and provenance of their products will give them an extra unique selling point when tapping into the Chinese market. Happerley England is a great initiative and as a consumer myself, I feel blessed to be empowered to make an informed choice, so I’d encourage producers to grab this opportunity by both hands and grow.”
The event also saw NFU Mutual commit to a long-term partnership with Happerley, while Creed Foodservice announced it will champion transparency in the ‘Foodservice Wholesale’ sector, saying it will endeavor to deliver Happerley Transparency across its supply chain wherever possible.
