Latest news with #ScotchBeef
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Health
- The Irish Sun
Viral ‘Dubai-style chocolate' bar is urgently recalled over dangerous health risk as shoppers warned ‘do not eat'
A VIRAL Dubai-style chocolate bar has been urgently recalled over a dangerous health risk. Shoppers have been warned not to eat the popular sweet treat. Advertisement 1 Dubai Chocolate Noesis Love Of Dubai contains peanuts Credit: NOESIS The Food Standards Agency warned that the Neosis Schokolade Love of But this is not mentioned on the label, making it a possible health risk to anyone with an allergy to the nut. Shops selling the chocolate are warned to "immediately stop sales and to undertake product withdrawals." "The product presents a serious risk to anyone with an allergy to peanuts," the FSA said. Advertisement Read more Businesses have been supplied these products by a company called Black Sea Trading Ltd, "who have so far been uncontactable". The FSA added: "Don't buy this product, and if you have bought it, don't eat it, especially if you have a peanut allergy. "Dispose of the product at home and get in touch with your local Trading Standards in Great Britain or Environmental Health Officers in Northern Ireland, to let them know where you purchased it." It comes after Advertisement Most read in The Sun Exclusive The recall has been issued for its Specially Selected 4 Cheddar Cheese Scotch Beef Quarter Pounder Burgers. Retailing for £3.29, the burgers failed to disclose gluten as an allergen on the product's label. This poses a risk to those who are gluten intolerant or suffer from coeliac disease. Aldi has urged customers to not consume the product if they have an allergy or intolerance to gluten. Advertisement And a Woodstock Vanilla Creme Crowns, made by Woodstock Foods, have been pulled from shelves after it was discovered they could trigger life-threatening allergic reactions. The product could contain hazelnuts that are not listed on the label, said the Food Standards Agency (FSA). The FSA warned that the product is a "possible health risk" for anyone with an allergy to hazelnuts. Advertisement Hazelnuts are known to cause Shoppers have been told the recall affects packs of 12 (50g each) with the batch code 224934 and a best before date of January 2026.
The National
23-06-2025
- General
- The National
Ruth Watson: It's time for Scotland to eat well and dump the meal deal
In Asia, bento boxes are prepared with care, offering a selection of rice, protein, vegetables. Hawker stalls offer a range of freshly cooked meals, sometimes served on a banana leaf – recyclable tableware doesn't get better than that. In Europe, the 'gastronomic meal of the French' – a festive multi-course meal emphasising the art of eating and drinking well, bringing people together for special occasions – is now listed by Unesco as something which is part of the 'intangible cultural heritage of humanity'. And we have the meal deal. As a nation, we do need to think about what's going in our mouths. Only 22% adults in Scotland eat the recommended five or more portions of fruit and veg a day. Most only eat 3.3 portions of fruit and vegetables on a typical day. This figure has not changed much for 20 years, despite the 'five a day' messaging. As for fibre? Again, our ultra-processed modern diets are slowing things down. Fewer than 10% of adults in Scotland eat the recommended 30g of roughage in a day. READ MORE: LIVE: Palestine Action protests as group set to be proscribed Last year saw the launch of the Scottish Eatwell Guide. It aims to get people talking about the kind of food and drink they eat, as well as where it comes from. The guide points to oats, barley, and beremeal for local sources of wholegrain, which help keep you full for longer, as well as having cholesterol-busting components. Our taste for tatties is no bad thing either. Potatoes have a surprising amount of nutrients and keeping the skin on adds both to the fibre and the vitamins in our daily diet. As for proteins, venison from our hills has a remarkable nutrition profile, while Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb are famous across the world for the quality of the meat on the plate, and our farmers are working hard to come up with local vegetarian protein options, including fava, or field, beans (pairs well with Chianti, apparently …). This cousin of the broad bean has been grown here since the Iron Age but fell out of favour once people could afford to eat meat more often, something which seems to be the case with many of our traditional foods. The team at the Gaia Foundation's Seed Sovereignty programme have found a broad bean called 'Scottish' which is available from a few seed suppliers in New Zealand, but from UK, or even European catalogues. These broad beans were brought to New Zealand in the 1860s by Scottish settlers and have been kept alive by keen farmers and gardeners since. The Seed Sovereignty Programme is working with a New Zealand seed company to repatriate the 'Scottish' broad bean back to Scotland. Edinburgh nutritionist Dr Laura Wyness was a Scottish Food Tourism Ambassador when she had her lightbulb moment. She told me: 'There are different versions of the UK Eatwell guide – there's the vegan version, there's the vegetarian version, the African Caribbean version and the South Asian version, and I thought, 'why is there not a Scottish version of the Eatwell Guide?', because we are quite distinct in the food that we have in Scotland and what we produce.' Wyness teamed up with Nutrition Scotland and worked with Scotland Food and Drink, while liaising with Food Standards Scotland, Public Health Scotland and the Scottish Government to make sure food messaging was both healthy and relatable. The idea seems to be working. 'The people who have been downloading it from the Nutrition Scotland website are mainly people working in educational settings such as teachers and community education workers,' Wyness said. 'We're now planning a study with Robert Gordon University that will look into how the Scottish Eatwell Guide is used as an educational tool in community settings.' She went on: 'I think a lot of people are interested in finding out more about where our food comes from and how it's produced because sustainability is at the forefront of people's minds. 'A lot of people want to eat more locally to support local communities and local businesses, so there's that kind of building awareness about local food and how it actually fits into a healthy, balanced diet. Scotland's National Chef, Gary Maclean, and some leading Scottish food brands are supporting the Scottish Eatwell Guide (if you have a Scottish food and drink business and would like to be involved, Wyness and the team at Nutrition Scotland would love to hear from you). Wyness hopes the Scottish Eatwell Guide can help us have different conversations about the food we eat and serve. 'I think the perception of the Scottish diet is that it is fairly unhealthy, you know, the pies and the tablet and things like that we're kind of quite well known for,' she said. 'People always talk about the Mediterranean diet being healthy, but actually the Scottish diet can be really healthy using what we have locally, such as the whole grains, and the root vegetables, salad, the berries, the game and seafood …' READ MORE: Private Scottish island with castle up for sale for £5.5m Wyness added: 'I got one response which really struck me. It was from someone who was giving us feedback on the Scottish Eatwell Guide. She said, 'It removes the worry that if I visit Scotland I won't be feeling well at the end of the trip after eating unhealthily, that, actually, I'll be feeling great after eating a healthy Scottish diet'.' That comment got me thinking about the power we all have to be ambassadors for Scotland, for our communities, for our own wellbeing. Agents of our own image, with pride in our food culture and heritage, and a wee bit healthier, too. Findings from the Scotland Visitor Survey 2023 showed that almost half of visitors (46%) took part in at least one food and drink activity during their trip last year, with nearly one-fifth of long-haul visitors now naming food and drink as the reason for choosing Scotland as a destination. A spokesperson for VisitScotland told me: 'More and more visitors are seeking out local produce when they're on holiday. It's a global trend driven by a desire for authentic travel and influenced by television and social media. It's the same for Scotland. 'UK visitors rate it as a top activity while half of visitors from our biggest international market, North America, say it's an important part of their visit. We know Scotland's food and drink is exceptional and it's through memorable tourism experiences that we can build our reputation on the global stage.' The humble field bean fell out of favour once people could afford to eat more meat. It often seems to be the case that we associate our traditional foods with the humdrum, or the humble. Generations which had known extreme poverty and hardship wanted to embrace plenty and not be reminded of the peasant fare our forebears relied upon. However, in losing our food traditions, we are losing part of ourselves. Modern, ready food is making us sicker and often costs way more. We don't need to spend hours in the kitchen to make good food. Perhaps it is time to eat well, Scotland, and dump the meal deal. Ruth Watson is the founder of the Keep Scotland the Brand campaign
STV News
08-05-2025
- Business
- STV News
Beef shortages could be seen in Scotland amid cattle decline
Beef shortages could be seen in Scotland as cattle numbers continue to decrease across the country. Around 80,000 more cows are needed by 2030 to meet demand, according to a new report from Quality Meat Scotland. It comes after the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers (SAMW) warned in January that beef supplies are reaching a 'critical point' in January. The number of cattle in Scotland has seen a downward trend, dropping by 10% over the past decade. STV News Around 80,000 more cows are needed by 2030 to meet demand. Farmers say an increase in costs and aging workforce is behind the reduction. Aberdeenshire farmer, Gary Christie, said the reduction in cattle 'really accelerated' when the price of beef collapsed around seven years ago. 'Recently we've seen the price of beef rise, but then our costs rose too so a lot of people weren't able to get back into the sector,' the 59-year-old told STV News. STV News Aberdeenshire farmer, Gary Christie. Latest figures suggest that by 2030, the UK would collectively need to produce 278,000 tonnes of beef on top of what it is currently projected to produce to achieve full self-sufficiency. For Scotland to bridge this gap, this equates to around an additional 22,000 tonnes of beef, requiring approximately 79,000 additional cows at the current national average reproduction rate. This data takes into account people eating less red meat in the coming years which is a decrease of 0.3% per person per year. STV News The number of cattle in Scotland has dropped by 10% over the past decade. Kate Rowell, chair of QMS, said that if the UK is unable to plug the production gap it will mean more beef imports from other countries. 'If we do that we don't have any control over cattle's welfare and environmental standards, and we see an opportunity here to add to the Scottish Herd, by just a few cows each year that's what we're asking farmers to do,' she added. The demand for Scotch Beef worldwide is also growing, with the Scottish Association for Meat Wholesalers saying they were turning buyers away due to a lack of product earlier this year. Ms Rowell added: 'The worldwide sector is really booming which provides us with a really good opportunity here in Scotland if we can meet the demand.' However, adding more cattle to herds is not always an easy job for farmers. Mr Christie said it can take between 24 to 26 months 'from conception to plate', adding that it's a long time before farmers see a return in profit. 'It's okay for a herd like ours possibly to add a few more but for many they won't be able to do that,' he said. He added: We need to have more confidence to grow from the Scottish Government that they support us. Agriculture minister Jim Fairlie said the Scottish Government understands the need to maintain critical mass in the livestock sector to ensure a viable supply chain. 'In stark contrast to the UK Government, we have committed to continue to provide reformed direct support to farmers in recognition of the unique challenges facing our farming and crofting communities,' he said. 'This includes our £40m Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme (SSBSS) as we know how economically, socially and environmentally important Suckler herds are. These direct payments will become part of the future framework in 2027, demonstrating our continuous support. He added: 'We are taking action now through the SSBSS to offer stability and sustainability as we fully recognise that if we do not act now then livestock producers will face further pressure down the line from buyers, processors and retailers to reduce emissions. 'We will continue to work closely with QMS and other stakeholders to secure a positive future for the sector. ' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
