Adding Value Our Impact

SAOS has been undertaking critical food and drink development work for over two decades. More recently, the words ‘supply chain’ have become almost a daily reference as our food and drink systems have creaked, faltered, and responded intuitively to various crises.

Following the Ukraine invasion last year, the Scottish Government invited SAOS to become a core member of their Food Security Taskforce. The first priority was supply chain analysis to enable assessment and prioritisation of the challenges, built around the new surveillance mapping work that was already underway. SAOS successfully created a risk register quantifying both the likelihood and impact of critical concerns across the entire supply chain, to be updated quarterly. Welcomed by the Scottish Government, insights are being fed directly to the newly-formed Food Security Unit. The underpinning 22 supply chain maps are regularly updated to benchmark economic, environmental, and social sustainability and are used extensively throughout the sector.

One of the last year’s high profile supply chain challenges was the shortage of food grade carbon dioxide (CO2). In response, SAOS led the way to find new suppliers for the sector to address the over-reliance on by-products from fertiliser production and imports. Plans are now being progressed with a Scottish-based CO2 supplier, and with whisky distilleries and breweries looking to recycle their CO2 offtakes.

The Scottish AgriExport Hub, operated by SAOS in partnership with sponsors NFU Scotland, is proving to be a successful new initiative. The Hub has been working closely with the potato sector on both its new strategy and the exploration of possible improvements to logistical capabilities from Scotland, including port infrastructure and sea shipments. The Hub has assisted a Gluten Free Oat Producer to export directly to the US, and further added-value opportunities are being investigated with the SF&D international in-market specialist network. Funding was secured to enable an inward mission of Egyptian plant health officials, and similar discussions have also been taking place to support an inward visit from Pakistan. Finally, funding was secured from SF&D to support the seed potato and horticulture presence at the 2023 Fruit Logistica event in Berlin in February, providing a platform to showcase the sector and host clients.

SAOS successfully delivered several market scoping and supply chain development projects over the year. These included the local food ‘Driving Growth Through Wholesale’ project in partnership with the Scottish Wholesale Association and SF&D; specialist export and logistics support; delivering supply chain sustainability events for the dairy sector; and research into ‘Blue Economy Opportunities for Scottish Farmed Shellfish’ for Crown Estate Scotland, to help shape stakeholder and Government thinking on this new opportunity. SAOS has been working closely with the Scotch Whisky Association to benchmark sustainability activities in the farming, grain handling and storage elements, and consulting the distilling sector on the use of bulky organic manures.

SAOS continues to play an integral facilitation role with iconic Scottish food categories, including Scottish venison, langoustines, fruit, and seed potatoes. This has involved review and recommendations for organisational design, strategic development and research, including quality assurance and sustainability themes.

Finally, SAOS continues to be at the heart of the SF&D Partnership, providing key input into the new strategy and delivering critical areas of agreed workstreams. These include the management of the Knowledge Bank and the Regional Food Fund, which disbursed small grant funding to local initiatives; strategic support to collaborative food groups in areas as diverse as apples, cheese, and flowers; and identifying the crucial underpinning factors for the proposed new concept for an overarching Scottish brand.