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THURSDAY OCTOBER 23, 201412 WEST BRITON WEST BRITON 13
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THURSDAY OCTOBER 23, 2014
NEWS FEATURE
Producers in Cornwall licktheir lips at surge in growthIn July 2011, the treasured Cornishpasty received official protectedstatus, albeit with a three-yeartransitional period. Now the timelimit is up, Craig Blackburninvestigates whether the processhas benefited Cornwall andproducers have complied
THE Cornish pasty datesback to the 13th century,but in the past 50 years hasbecome a victim of its owns u c c e s s.
It has been copied and, some wouldsay, its reputation tarnished asnational companies like Pukka Pies,Greggs and Peter’s Food Service massproduced pasties.
So, the county’s producers tookmatters into their own hands, formingthe Truro-based Cornish PastyAssociation (CPA) in 2002, calling forprotection of the product similar tothat accorded Champagne and Parmaham.
The process involved a governmentdepartment, created two EuropeanCommission (EC) directives and
employed three authenticationcompanies, plus local authorities’trading standards departments upand down the country.
By July 2011, the Food Safety Act1990 was updated to reflect thechang es.
The new regulations stipulate thatfor a product to be called a ‘Cor nishpasty’ it must be made in Cornwall toa specific recipe and productionmethod and packaging must carry theProtected Geographical Indications(PGI) logo, pictured right.
If not, suppliers could ultimatelyface prosecution.
To give the seven non-Cornishsuppliers a chance to make thesechanges, the Department forEnvironment, Food and Rural Affairs(Defra) set a three-year transitionalperiod.
That period ended on August 12.The CPA, meanwhile, is rolling out
a national numbering scheme –expected to be complete by February –which will allow consumers to trackevery product.
So, after 12 years of work, was itworth it?
Mark Norton bought PrimaBakeries in Scorrier, Redruth, fouryears ago and is now producing 2,000pasties a day and employing 50 staff.
“When I bought the company wewere baking one day a week,” he said.“Now we are producing pasties sixdays (a week).
“For a company of our size it is hardto quantify the sole benefit of the PGIother than to say that, certainly, thewhole process really put the focus onCornwall and the Cornish pasty.”
Mr Norton proudly started“expor ting” pasties across the Tamar,as he puts it, for the first time thisye a r.
As a result, over the past few weekshe has taken on more staff at a timewhen many seasonal companies aretemporarily laying off employees.
Ian Trevithick, pasty maker atBrian Etherington’s Meat Companyin Scorrier, which sent 6,000 Cornishpasties to Festival Interceltique inBrittany this year, said: “The PGIprocess has helped our salesimmeasurably. We are fully behindit.”
From making 100 pasties a day forthe company two years ago, he nowproduces up to 1,500 a day, helped byfour other staff.
Managing director MarkEtherington added: “We are certainlygoing forward and we have gotexpansion plans for the future aswe ’ve outgrown our premises. It isquite exciting.”
The company is starting onlinesales in two weeks and has “i n t e re s t ”from more than one overseas client.
Fiona Rick, a director of CornishPremier Pasties in St Columb Major,which makes 20,000 Cornish pasties aday, said: “Over the past few years wehave doubled our staff and premises,and started selling more Cornishpasties outside the county and out ofE u ro p e.
“This is not solely down to the CPA,but I do think that the PGI putCornwall on the map and it madepeople – retailers and wholesalers –come to Cornwall direct to get the
p ro d u c t . ” She added that, far frompromoting Cornish producers, manyof the group’s clients wanted to re-brand their pasties and “sell them astheir own”.
Since August 12, it appears, theseven non-Cornish suppliers haverenamed their products to complywith the regulations.
Ruth Huxley from the CPA, said:“We are not aware of anybody who,since derogation (the three-yearperiod) ended, has been tradingille gally.”
Since July 2011, said seniorCornwall Council trading standardsofficer Julie Benson, her departmenthad been investigating complaints –as the ‘home’ prosecuting authority –from consumers around the UK, butmostly in relation to these sevenexempt companies.
It has had no complaints since theAugust deadline.
But as the West Briton went topress, Cornish pasties from Peter’s
Food Service appeared on sale on thewebsites of major supermarkets.
A spokesman for the company saidit had “adhered fully with EuropeanCommission requirements,” adding:“Unfortunately, certain websiteimages do not seem to have beenupdated in line with the requiredchanges and older images haveremained in place.”
A Google search using the names ofsome of the other six companies,combined with the words ‘Cor nishpasty’, also returned a long list ofoutdated website listings.
Glitches aside, Mark Muncey,
According to the CPA, it is still tooearly to quantify the benefit withoutupdated industry figures.
But Ms Huxley says: “I don’t thinkwe can say yet with any certaintywhat the impact of the end of thederogation will have on the Cornishproducers, although Cornishproducers see it as a very positivething.
“One of the key benefits to Cornishproducers is that, in some cases, theproducts that were allowed thederogation just didn’t bear anyresemblance to a proper Cornishpasty, so the fact that they can nolonger use the name means that thedistinctiveness and the marketpotential of the Cornish pasty is nowenhanced.”
But not every Cornish pastyproducer is happy with the newr ules.
Ann Muller, whose family has beenmaking pasties for generations in theLizard, started a Facebook pageagainst the PGI rules because theystate that a Cornish pasty cannot becrimped on the top, contrary to herfamily traditions.
An online petition was set up insupport of her business called StopBarring Ann’s Pasties From Beingsold As Cornish Pasties.
Ms Muller did not want tocomment.
At the factory of the biggest playerin the Cornish pasty supply chain,business is certainly booming.
Ginsters’ 600 staff make about onemillion Original Cornish Pasties eachweek from their base in Callington.
Jo Hartop, from the company, said itsupplied “everyone from all the majormultiple supermarkets” – Te s c o,Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Co-op,Waitrose – “to the convenience andwholesale sector”, such as Booker,Spar and Londis, as well as the foodservice sector.
Paul Pearce, from WC Rowe inFalmouth, which supplies the WestCornwall Pasty Company chain andother major national clients, said he is“p ro u d ” of being part of the PGIp ro c e s s.
“The importance of the PGI to notjust Cornish pasty producers but alsoto the wider Cornish economy can’t beu n d e re s t i m at e d , ” he says.
“With so many jobs either directly
or indirectly associated with theproduction of Cornish pasties, it wasimportant for the preservation ofthese jobs but also the creation of jobsin the future, that the Cornish PastyAssociation was successful inobtaining PGI status for what is todayone of the most iconic foods in thewo rl d . ”
■ Pasty maker Ian Trevithick at Brian Etherington’s MeatCompany in Scorrier, Redruth.
■ Pa s t i e sbeing made
at PrimaBakeries in
Redruth
FACTFI LE■ The largest Cornish pasty producers:Tamar FoodsG i n s te r sProper Cornish Pasties CompanyCrantock BakeryW C RoweCornish Premier PastiesWar rens
■ The seven suppliers which underwentthe three-year derogation - transitionalperiod to comply with new rules:Pukka Pies LtdPork Farms LtdShire Foods LtdNorthern Foods PlcGreggs PlcPeter ’s Food Service LtdKerry Group Plc
marketing manager of Proper CornishPasties Company said the process waswo rk i n g .
“What we are seeing is thosecompanies actually toeing the line,” hesaid. “And the consumers arehighlighting if any products that arenot made in Cornwall [through localTrading Standards around thecountry].”
The company’s 200 staff makes40,000 Cornish pasties and sells themto the food service and contractcatering sectors, as well as to retailers,including some supermarket chains.
“The whole process is now startingto add value to the industry,” he added.“It’s all about safeguarding jobs in thei n d u s t r y. ”
■ Ann Muller from the Lizard and oneof her famous pasties.
w w w. w e s t b r i t o n . c o. u k / bu ya p h o t o
FACTFI LEValue of the Cornish pasty industry in2011 (latest available figures):
■ Number of Cornish pasties producedin the county: 120 million
■ Total turnover of all pasties producedin Cornwall: £288 million
■ Amount of Cornwall’s food and drinkproduction sector, by turnover, accoun-ted for by the total turnover of pastyproducing companies: 20 per cent
■ Total employment related to pastyproduction (including wider supplychain): 13,000
■ There are twice as many high streetbakeries in Cornwall per capita than inD e vo n .
What is a Cornishpasty today?ACCORDING to current legisla-tion, the following rules apply tothe sale of Cornish pasties:
Rec ipe:Short crust, rough puff or puff
p a s t r y.Diced or minced beef, sliced or
diced potato, swede and onion.Vegetable content must not be
less than 25 per cent.Meat content of the pasty must
not be less than 12.5 per cent.Seasoning to taste, primarily salt
and pepper.No other types of meat, veget-
ables, for example carrot, or anyartificial additives are to be usedin the filling.
The pasties are D-shaped andcrimped, either by hand or mech-anically, to one side, and never ont o p.
There is no requirement for theraw ingredients to be sourced fromwithin Cornwall, but they must bemade, or “manuf actured” in thec o u n t y.
They can be baked anywhere inthe country.
L abelling:The approved PGI symbol should
be used at point of sale, or on any
packaging containing the product.
Polic ing:Three product authentication
inspectorate companies conductannual checks on registered pro-ducers to make sure they complywith the new rules.
Each member will receive theirown certification number (by theend of February) provided by theinspection body to display on pack-aging and any other point of salematerial when selling CornishPa s t i e s .
This unique number will traceeach pasty sold directly back to thep r o d u c e r.
■ Peter’s Cornish Pasty (not made in Cornwall) still advertised online.
Most supermarkets sellthe much-loved foodTHE main supermarket chains –Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda, Morris-ons – sell Cornish pasties.
According to visits to someCornish outlets, Aldi, Iceland andLidl do not.
Sainsbury’s in Truro sells Gin-sters Original Cornish Pasty,Cornish Pasty by Sainsbury’s anda Taste The Difference CornishPasty, as well as fresh Rowe’s pas-ties on concession stands.
A spokesman for Sainsbury’ssaid: “We work with suppliersbased in Cornwall to make them.I’m afraid we don’t give any fur-ther details on suppliers.”
Tesco, in Truro, sells GinstersOriginal Cornish Pasty, Tesco
Cornish pasty and Counter TescoCornish Pasty.
A Tesco spokesman said theywere made and baked in Calling-ton by Samworth Brothers, whichowns Tamar Foods and Ginsters.
It also sells fresh Rowe’s pastieson concession stands.
Asda at Penryn sells GinstersOriginal Cornish Pasty and AsdaChosen By You Cornish Pasty. Aspokesman said its supplier wasTamar Foods, in Callington. Italso sells fresh Rowe’s pasties onconcession stands in some stores.
A Morrisons spokesman said itsown-label Cornish pasty wassourced from a supplier based inCor nwall.
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