Inverness Caledonian Thistle Stadium is the venue tonight (Tuesday 2nd March) for the launch of the Highlands and Islands Food and Drink Forum.

A group of food and drink industry representatives from across the region have come together, with backing from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), to establish the Forum under the Scottish Food and Drink umbrella. 

The new organisation has been set up to provide meeting and networking opportunities for food producers, customers, suppliers and service providers.  The Forum also aims to deliver a high quality programme of speakers and discussion groups on subjects relevant to businesses and their development, and will ensure that businesses are kept up to date with the services offered by Scottish Food and Drink and other sources.

Key speaker at tonight's inaugural event is Patrick Holden, director of the Soil Association, an organisation which has considerable influence over food and farming policy, both with the Government and through its high media profile.

Speaking ahead of the event, Mr Holden said: "The best way that Highlands and Islands producers can prosper in an increasingly globalised marketplace is to focus on their unique assets and telling that good story - of sustainable production in a natural, beautiful landscape, of purity, of product integrity and of place of origin - right down to the croft or farm and the producer's name."

The food and drink sector is extremely important to the economy of the Highlands and Islands, generating sales in excess of £600 million per annum and supporting over 10,000 full-time equivalent jobs across the region.  The range of products is diverse from fish to meat and from jam to cheese.  Equally diverse is the profile of the sector with world-renowned businesses such as Baxters of Fochabers and Walkers Shortbread to small, innovative producers successfully supplying niche markets.

Dennis Overton from Aquascot is chair of the Highands and Islands Food and Drink Forum.  Commenting on the group's first meeting, he said: "We are extremely pleased to have Patrick Holden from the Soil Association speaking at our inaugural event.

"The Highlands and Islands Food and Drink Forum will allow everyone involved in the industry to connect and I am sure events like this one tonight will become a valuable place of inspiration, challenge, ideas and information exchange."

The next Highlands and Islands Food and Drink Forum event takes place on Tuesday 6th April.  Celebrity chef Nick Nairn will be speaking to members and the focus of the evening will be the issues facing Highland food and drink businesses in the face of rising obesity levels and Scotland's deep fried Mars bar culture of food consumption.  Further details can be found on the Scottish Food and Drink website, www.scottishfoodanddrink.com