Attending high profile events is an essential part of the government’s strategy to promote Manx food.

That was the message from Food Minister Geoffrey Boot when he was questioned about the recent trip to the International Food and Drink Event (IFE) in London.

He said: ’Promotion at these events is essential. We need to reach out of the Isle of Man to enable some of our businesses to develop.

’The objective in attending is to support the increasing range of successful and expanding local food businesses who are now considering moving to the next level either by starting to export or in some cases to expand their exports.

Eight Manx businesses were represented at the IFE last month and the Department for Environment, Food and Agriculture was seeking feedback from them as to the effectiveness of the trip as a promotional tool.

He said that feedback so far had been ’resoundingly positive’, with one business reporting 80-90 leads and another having already taken additional orders.

It was also an important opportunity to boost the island’s profile on an international stage.

Mr Boot was responding to questions from Jason Moorhouse (Arbory, Castletown and Malew) he revealed that DEFA has £400,000 for promoting Manx food businesses, which included grants and marketing, as well as putting on the Isle of Man Food and Drink Festival.

The eight businesses to attend IFE were: Isle of Man Meats, Isle of Man Creamery, Laxey Flour, Berries, Foraging Vintners, Seven Kingdom Distillery, The Fynoderee Distillery and Close Leece Farm.

For more about this issue, see the Manx Independent’s Food and Farming pages this week.

The paper is in shops now.