Food and Drink / Food & Drink News / New organisation to lead food & drink sector in the Northwest

New organisation to lead food & drink sector in the Northwest

A new organisation, Food Northwest, set up by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) to support the food and drink sector in England's Northwest, will become operational on 2nd April 2007, reducing the number of support organisations in this important priority sector.

The existing food and drink sector bodies, Northwest Food Alliance and Northwest Fantastic Food Partnership will be combined, with the aim of making it easier for businesses in the sector to know who to contact for advice and business support.

From the beginning of April 2007 the new organisation, Food NW will have overall responsibility for the food and drink sector; coordinating the delivery of the new Northwest Food and Drink Strategy. The strategy has been developed by the food groups across the region and has a core focus which Food NW will now deliver. There are six priority areas which are: - market development, productivity and skills, healthy eating, the benefits of environmental sustainability, strategy for sustainable farming and food and the image of the food and drink industry.

For the first time funding from the NWDA allocated to support the food and drink sector directly will flow though one business support organisation, Food NW. Food NW will in turn contract key partners such as Made in Cheshire, Made in Lancashire, Made in Cumbria, North West Fine Food and the North West Organic Centre, for the delivery of specific activities.

The restructuring will reduce the confusion and the number of support products available to businesses in the region, bringing the sector in line with the government standing regarding the simplification of business support services across the UK.

Vanda Murray, OBE, Interim Chair of Food NW said:

"The formation of Food NW marks the transition to a more effective level of support for the food and drink sector in the Northwest. It will make it easier for businesses to engage in activities which will improve their competitiveness, and will facilitate the delivery of the new Northwest Food and Drink Strategy."

The development of the sector is one of the key transformational activities in the 2006 Northwest Regional Economic Strategy (RES). The new Northwest Food and Drink Strategy defines the priorities for the sector for 2006-2011 and recognises the changes which are currently taking place in the ways that food and drink are consumed in the UK and the many business opportunities that these changes produce.

Mark Hughes, NWDA's Executive Director of Enterprise, Innovation and Skills, said:

"Food NW will be a key organisation to deliver one of the Transformational Actions in the 2006 Regional Economic Strategy. The food and drink sector is vital to this region providing over £9.5 billion to the economy of England's Northwest and 12% of the region's income.

The formation of this new organisation will bring together the efforts of several existing organisations and channel their initiatives to simplify business support and ensure that the Agency achieves maximum value for money in supporting the food and drink sector."

Food NW will work closely with the new regional Northwest Business Link service - also operational from 2nd April. The new service will have more customer facing, expert brokers, focusing on the regions priority sectors which includes Food and Drink.

Patricia Foreman has been appointed by open competition as the Managing Director of Food NW and will start in her new role on 2nd April. Pat was Chief Executive of Northwest Food Alliance and has over twenty years' experience in the food and drink sector. The Executive Chair of Food NW is being recruited by open competition and an appointment is expected in late April. The successful candidate will be working very closely with Pat. The remaining Board members are due to be in post from May onwards.