Following a working collaboration between various Scottish producers, an application will be lodged to gain European protected status for Scottish cold-pressed rapeseed oil.

Scotlands food secretary, Richard Lochhead, made the announcement following a meeting with Scottish Rapeseed Oil – a group of producers specialising in cold-pressed rapeseed oil. The group comprises Borderfields, Black and Gold, Cullisse, Mackintosh of Glendaveny, Ola Oils, Summer Harvest and Supernature.
Lochhead heard about the group’s plan to make the application to the European unio for Protected Food Name (PFN) status, which, if successful, will offer them protection against imitation and increased product awareness.

He says, "Scotland is world famous for its wonderful food and drink, and people want to know they are buying the real deal. Achieving PFN status for Scottish cold-pressed rapeseed oil will ensure that consumers at home and across the EU have a 100% guarantee of the products authenticity.

"The PFN scheme guarantees consumers are getting a quality product, and it also benefits producers of brands synonymous with Scotland by providing them with recognition of their product and safeguarding it from imitation. I would encourage more producers to follow the lead of Scottish Rapeseed Oil and look at taking this forward."

Sales of cold-pressed rapeseed oil in Scotland have grown by 18% in the past year, with 33,000 new shoppers buying the product for the first time since the group was formed.