SFS fought off stiff competition to win the bid, making it the first time in the history of the competition that Scottish seafood will be represented.
The Bocuse d’Or is a worldwide culinary showcase that takes place every two years in Lyon, the culinary capital of Europe, alongside SIRHA, the International Hotel, Catering and Food Trade Exhibition. The next event takes place in January 2011, but in the preceding year the world’s top chefs will take part in numerous regional and national selection events, with only the best qualifying for the Bocuse d’Or finals.
“The Bocuse d’Or and the culinary heats will provide an excellent opportunity to raise the profile of Scotland as a supplier of high quality, sustainable seafood, and we hope to see a number of the world’s top chefs including it on their menus in the future,” says SFS Chief Executive Libby Woodhatch.
A marketing programme is being built around the competition to help increase awareness of Scottish seafood in France and the 23 other competing countries.
Scottish Government Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the outstanding quality of Scotland’s delicious, healthy and sustainably sourced seafood, at one of the world’s most prestigious events. This is a first for Scotland and it will help to enhance the country’s reputation as a land of food and drink. The prospect of new export opportunities is also a timely boost for our fishermen, who work so hard to land quality produce day in, day out.
“This is a significant vote of confidence in Scotland’s fisheries. Over half by value are now either MSC-certified or in the full assessment process and many more are on track to achieve the gold standard of sustainability. I congratulate Seafood Scotland on their efforts in securing this excellent opportunity.”
