Food for thought as produce sought to join protected list

Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman is inviting people in Yorkshire to nominate produce from the county which deserves special protection.

Last week the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) announced that Cumberland sausage has gained the 44th British Protected Food Name.

Nearly 40 more British foods are in the process of applying but Defra wants more distinctive local foods to the put forward.

Mrs Spelman said: “In Yorkshire and the Humber celebrated foods such as traditional Grimsby smoked fish and Swaledale cheese have already gained Protected Food Name status.

“But what other local foods deserve similar recognition – what about fat rascals, parkin or liquorice, for instance?”

She said the process of getting a name protected was long but successful accreditation can mean more profits and a higher profile.

“Those who’ve been through the process, such as Yorkshire forced rhubarb, have found that the increased awareness of their products has also grown sales.”

For the producers of Yorkshire forced rhubarb, gaining protected name status has helped revive the fortunes of an industry that had been in decline.

The vegetable – grown in darkened, heated sheds and harvested by candlelight to preserve its vibrant colour and sweet taste – won Protected Designation of Origin status last year.

It means only forced rhubarb grown by approved farms in the “rhubarb triangle” between Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield can be labelled Yorkshire forced rhubarb.

Janet Oldroyd Hulme, of growers E Oldroyd and Son in Leeds, said the protection – along with recent research into the health benefits of forced rhubarb – had boosted business.

“The rhubarb industry had been in decline since the Second World War, as people’s tastes changed and growers stopped producing it,” she said.

“But since we received protected status, demand has really improved. We saw an immediate increase in our wholesale price of around 25 per cent following the PDO announcement, and we’re looking to gradually increase our crops and expand the business over the next few seasons.”

“I would definitely encourage other regional food producers to apply for protection if they think they might qualify.”

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