Tesco gets organic milk from Robert Wiseman Dairies

Robert Wiseman Dairies will start to deliver most of Tesco UK’s Organic milk soon, which means a turning point for the organic food and drink industry in Scotland. The 60 year old company has made a significant investment in capacity in order to supply Tesco (picture) with 60 % of its organic milk, equivalent to a quarter of the entire UK market for organic milk. Mr. Graeme Jack, communications director for Robert Wiseman Dairies, stated that the company also had installed the capacity to satisfy future growth.

A study for the Scottish Executive suggested the organic sector in Scotland was shaping up to be worth about £ 108 million in 2007. This would be encouraging enough to consider developing a Scottish origin label for organic produce for consumers preferring to buy locally.

Until three years ago, two-thirds of organic food and drink sold in Scotland came from foreign countries, prompting the Executive to set a target for at least 70 % of indigenous produce. The commercial challenge for the fragmented sector now was to satisfy the local demand for locally produced organic food and drink. About 40% of the eggs sold in Scotland, for example, were imported from Ireland and England. And nearly all processed dairy products such as yoghurt and cheese came from foreign countries, reducing overall market penetration for dairy to around 40% despite nearly 100% sales of local milk.

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