• 42,000 shops, pubs and restaurants are provided annually with details on how to use British produce to increase sales


• Over £15 million estimated increase in sales of British food during the Fortnight each year


• 34% increase in sales in participating stores


• All areas of the catering sector involved – pubs, restaurants, food service, public procurement and visitor attractions.

British Food Fortnight has proved to retailers and caterers that there is money to be made from British food. It has shown how quality, seasonal and regionally-distinct food spells commercial opportunity; how it differentiates them from their competitors, increases sales and brings more customers through their door.

In the build-up to the Fortnight, 42,000 shops, restaurants and pubs are provided with detailed information on sourcing and promoting regional food and drink and are invited to put traditional regionally-distinct foods on their menus and shop-shelves.

As a result, the Fortnight has been promoted in, amongst others, Budgens, Londis, Asda, Booths, Morrisons, ARAMARK, Compass, Brakes, Sodexo, Avenance, BaxterStorey, MITIE Catering Services, One Complete Solution, Tesco, Somerfield, Waitrose, Anchor Trust Residential and Care Homes, many NHS Trusts, School Catering Services, Major Government Departments, 4,000 members of the Rural Shops Association, 5,000 independent shops, 350 of the UK’s leading delicatessens; 8,000 pubs; in National Trust properties, Youth Hostels and at food festivals and events nationwide.

The impact on the retail sector

“British Food Fortnight provides a fantastic opportunity to grow sales and profits with the support of a nationally recognised event. It would be foolish not to take part.”
Libra Europe, consultants to the food supply chain industry, writing in The Grocer

“British Food Fortnight offers a real profit opportunity for independent retailers.”
Independent Retail News

“Sales of the lines we featured during British Food Fortnight went up by hundreds of per cent.”
Les Rutherford, Store Manager, Budgens Keyworth, Nottinghamshire

“I would recommend any retailer to get involved with British Food Fortnight. It creates so much awareness for the store.”
Malcolm Bodell, Store Manager, Londis, Bow

“What’s really exciting is that we’ve seen a clear increase in sales as a result of British Food Fortnight.”
Lucy Worrall, Marketing Manager for Warner’s Budgens

“British Food Fortnight definitely had a positive impact for Kent Frozen Foods. We saw a good uplift in the products on promotion throughout the month.”
James Brenchley, Kent Frozen Foods, suppliers to the catering industry

As the Fortnight has grown there has been a noticeably greater interest in British food from across the retail sector. Since the event was first held more and more retailers are recognising that putting clearly marked British food on their shelves is a way of increasing sales. Hence small independents, medium-sized retailers and the multiples all use the Fortnight as an opportunity to increase their stock of regional food and to flag up British produce in-store.

Budgens, Londis, Booths, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose, Tesco, Somerfield, the Guild of Fine Food Retailers, members of the Independent Retailers Association and Rural Shops Alliance have all used the Fortnight to draw consumer attention to the variety of regional produce in-store.

Sales figures from Budgens, Londis and the Guild of Fine Food Retailers have proved that British Food Fortnight has a serious impact on sales. Retailers taking part have increased their sales by up to 34% per store as a direct result of the event; sales of products offered for tastings have increased by a staggering 50% and 84% of new lines stocked for the promotion have been retained since.

The impact on the catering sector

“There is a wealth of excellent foods from across the British Isles and I would urge caterers to use British Food Fortnight to develop regional recipes that take advantage of what’s available.”
Gerard O’Sullivan, National Development Chef, ARAMARK

“I would like to see at least five locally produced dishes on every pub menu. 1,000 of our pubs take part in British Food Fortnight and every year I am encouraging even more to do so.”
Catering Development Manager, Punch Taverns

“British Food Fortnight is an ideal catalyst for finding new suppliers and sourcing more sustainably. Hospitals, schools and staff restaurants putting British on the menu during the event have proved it is possible to source locally.”
Mark Holmes, ADAS, who helped Sheffield Teaching Hospitals source locally as part of the White Rose Red Meat Initiative

“Spend per head increased by 17% as a result of our British Food Fortnight menu.”
Paul Eddington, Golant Youth Hostel, Cornwall

“Our British Food Fortnight menu proved cheaper than what we were paying before.”
Perry Lewis, Nottingham City Hospital

“British Food Fortnight is a great way to shout about the fantastic British food produce available both regionally and nationally. Often underestimated, British produce is actually some of the best you can buy.”
Rob Clayton, Executive Chef, Merchant Inns plc

“British Food Fortnight has once again been a hugely successful event for ARAMARK. Thousands of employees in some of Britain’s biggest organisations have enjoyed special British menus and schools, colleges and the local farming community have all been involved.”
Victoria Clarke, Marketing Communications Manager, ARAMARK

“YHA was delighted to take part in British Food Fortnight and to stamp its foot on British soil in support of British farmers and producers.  More than 2,000 of our guests tucked into our Great British menu and gave a ringing endorsement to the quality that British food represents.  Cheers to British Food Fortnight from the YHA!”
John Mcgrath & Lauren Pethybridge, Food & Beverage Managers, YHA

“British Food Fortnight has been a great success for Sodexo and once more we are delighted to be associated with it.”
Jeff Brades, Marketing Director for Sodexo

“Our new Best of British recipes were served in more than 1,000 workplaces across the UK during British Food Fortnight and were well received by our customers.”
Nick Vadis, Executive Chef at Compass Group UK & Ireland

“British Food Fortnight has been a great experience for Young’s.  Customers were very interested and impressed that we were promoting British food.  Such was the response that the British Food Fortnight menu is staying on as an option for all pubs to use as specials, a request that came directly from the pub managers.”
Tara Buffini, Director of Food Development, Young & Co's Brewery PLC

“Yet again British Food Fortnight has proved to be a big winner for us. Not only did it boost sales significantly, but it was the perfect opportunity to show customers that they can enjoy fantastic British produce at reasonable prices in our pubs.”
Sharon Hammond, Marketing Manager, Orchid Group Pubs

“S&N Pub Enterprises fully supports British Food Fortnight.  It offers the chef a chance to shine using local produce which provides positive PR for the pub in its local community.  This year for the first time lessees were able to use our new food website to obtain information on taking part in British Food Fortnight.   50% of those visiting the site visited the British Food Fortnight page.”
Ben Bartlett, Head of Food Development, S&N Pub Enterprises

“It was a great idea for The Great Inns of Britain to take part in British Food Fortnight.  We have had a wonderful response to our seasonal menus during the event.”
Simon Rhatigan, Feversham Arms Hotel, North Yorkshire on behalf of Great Inns of Britain

British Food Fortnight is an established promotion for pubs, restaurants, tourism attractions and food service organisations many of which enhance their menus with British produce during the event. Many Enterprise Inns, Everards, Marston’s Pub Company, Mitchells & Butlers, Orchid Pub Group and Punch Taverns pubs and restaurants promote the Fortnight by running special menus featuring regional food and drink.

ARAMARK, Brakes, Compass Group, Sodexo, BaxterStorey, Avenance, One Complete Solution and Anchor Trust Residential Care & Nursing Homes have made sure that there is an abundance of British food on menus during the Fortnight.

The Youth Hostel Association champions the Fortnight with local meals in its hostels.

Hospital meals have been enhanced: 6,000 British meals have been served to patients at three Sheffield hospitals during the Fortnight; Nottingham City Hospital’s participation in the event proved to them that sourcing British need not be more expensive.

Prisons, schools and many major Government departments put British food on their menus including the Cabinet Office, the Treasury, Portcullis House (where MPs have their London offices), the Department for Transport, the Department for Work and Pensions, HM Revenue & Customs and the Department for Culture Media & Sport.

National Trust chefs have competed to design the ultimate children's British food menu.

Overall, there has been a marked increased emphasis on provenance during the Fortnight. Many more restaurants and pubs are now naming the producer and source of food on their menus. The response from the pub sector is particularly strong. For example, Punch Taverns encourage their pubs to serve, and name, at least five locally produced dishes during the fortnight. The tourism sector has also woken up to this and there is much evidence of tourism attractions promoting regional food and drink as an integral part of the visitor experience both during the Fortnight and beyond.