For the last week there has been one news story dominating headlines and news bulletins across the UK and abroad.
Reminiscent of the egg health scare in the 1980s and BSE, foot and mouth, and E. coli outbreaks in more recent years, the new horse meat scandal has had a severe knock-on effect for Scottish businesses.
Food producers and retailers have reported crises as consumer confidence in the industry as a whole has been hit by the uncertainty of what is actually in the food on our supermarket shelves.
The Business Opportunity
In some respects the shock of poor traceability records from imported meats hasn’t necessarily been all bad.
The constant news stream and information update has actually perked up our ears and opened our eyes, prompting us to dig a little deeper and find out more about what the nation is eating.
Until now, the majority of people would happily accept what’s printed on the label is what is in the product, and quite rightly so. Yet, this newfound scepticism of food quality has caused many people to think twice.
As a businessman my immediate thought would be to capitalise on the issue – in crisis there is always opportunity.
While consumer trust in some market-leading brands is at an all-time low, there is a fantastic opening for small home-grown businesses to step into the fold.
It Made Me Laugh
Swift Action by Scottish Producers
When crisis hits your industry, particularly affecting your competition, it gives your business an opportunity to react. Done right this can be a huge business win.
In the current case Scottish firms haven’t been long in realising this and in stepping up to the plate – so to speak.
Scotch lamb, beef and fish suppliers were quick to spring into action after the scandal broke. Producers, butchers and industry bodies were immediately in place to comment on the quality and traceability of our home-grown produce, and that’s exactly what I would have done.
Never one to miss an opportunity themselves, the Scottish government has also pledged to support Scottish farmers and food companies with a £1 million investment to bolster confidence in the Scotch lamb, pork and beef brands – which is of the highest quality standard in the world after all.
The investment boost will be focused on promoting the Scotch brand in order to support and develop new markets at home and overseas.
It Made Me Weep
A New Era for Local Businesses
However, in my view it’s not only farmers and producers who stand to benefit if they handle the crisis in the right way.
With the so-called death of the local high street a seemingly inevitable situation, local quality and artisan businesses have an amazing opportunity to restore faith in their non-mass market, quality and locally sourced produce.
The public is looking for an alternative to mass-produced off-the-shelf meat at the moment, if packaged and priced correctly local and small businesses can leverage the consumer’s willingness to pay a small premium for their trust and craft offering.
Offering competition in the consumer marketplace and supporting small business enterprise is fundamental to Scotland’s local economy in my opinion.
Furthermore, as a champion for enterprise and in particular through my work with young entrepreneurs I’ve come to see the need for more education on enterprise at a young age.
If we instil kids with the tools to build a business early in their education they will have time to develop the necessary skills and mind-set to consider a home-grown business as a feasible opportunity.
All in all, every business should treat every situation as an opportunity to diversify and grow.
It’s not often you’ll be handed an opportunity to grab more customers and shout about yourself. Using a little bit of out-of-the-box thinking and opportunism can take you a long way, no matter what industry or sector you’re in.
