Lomond was approached by Compass Scotland to produce a locally sourced, low-carbon, sustainable menu for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), which took place at the SEC in Glasgow last month.
The COP26 menu required 80% of the products provided, and their ingredients, to be Scottish, with the potential for the remaining 15% to be provided from the wider UK and 5% from the rest of the world.
Director at Lomond: The Wholesale Food Co, Barbara Henderson, said: “We already supplied Compass Scotland but only into Compass ESS, but we were approached because of our strong focus on local sourcing, sustainability and environmental improvements,”
In order to meet the requirements for the menu, Lomond sourced more than 300 products from over 60 Scottish suppliers.
To meet the COP26 menu criteria, many of the products had to be developed from scratch, a process that took months.
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We sourced, supplied and developed some fabulous Scottish products such as a Venison sausage roll, Scottish raspberry and chocolate plant-based brownie, Scottish smoked pulled chicken, Scottish grated mozzarella, Scottish MSC-certified haddock and Scottish soups, pizza sauces and ragus,” said Henderson.
“Our suppliers also produced or sourced Scottish beef and plant-based burgers, Mara seaweed, Scottish cooked meats, Scottish mini sweet pastries, Scottish brioche buns, Scottish shellfish, Scottish buffalo mozzarella balls and Scottish broccoli crisps to name just a few.”
Compass chefs developed one of the largest volume lines into COP26, supplying a range of sandwiches and wraps throughout the event.
“These sandwiches were brought down from Aberdeen daily, on a JIT basis,” Henderson continued.
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“As Lomond already delivers to a sub depot in Aberdeen on a daily basis, these were back-hauled on the existing vehicle which attracted zero road miles. This enabled us to hit the low-carbon standard while working with a great supply partner to deliver the freshest products available.”
Lomond also unveiled a brand new eco-friendly cling film at the event.
Henderson added: “Incredibly, Wrapex rose to the challenge and delivered the product, meaning Compass Scotland was the first company in the UK to list the Eco-Cling, a fully recyclable cling film in a reusable Speedwrap Dispensing System.”
Commenting on the delivery of the COP26 contract, Henderson said: “Operationally, the contract was challenging. Volumes were hard to predict, security was exceptionally tight and deliveries were made throughout the night.
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“Pallets needed to be scanned at security check points, which caused complication as stock had to be built in small pallets to pass through a scanner, which meant that volume was much reduced and more vehicles were needed. In fact, each 18-ton loaded vehicle took more than four hours to complete the security process which slowed everything down.”
In 2020, the wholesaler set a target to achieve a 50% Scottish product range by the end of 2022, reaching 41% of its target by the end of October 2021.
The COP26 menu’s success has resulted in a long-term sustainable supply chain, with the menu continuing across several Compass Scotland locations, delivering ongoing business for Lomond and many Scottish suppliers.
