4 February 2008: Mey Selections, the brand name of North Highlands Products Ltd., is delighted to announce that they are the first Scottish SME (Small Medium Enterprise) to become involved with the Carbon Trust’s product carbon footprinting and labelling initiative.
 
“Not only are we the first Scottish SME, we are one of the first food and drink companies to become involved with the initiative.  Mey Selections is committed to using sustainable standards of farming, fishing and food production, so it seems right that we look for ways to reduce our impact on the environment by minimising the lifecycle carbon emissions of our products from their supply chains.” explains John Strak, Mey Selections’ Managing Director.

Caithness farmers formed the company and have selected the highest quality supplies within the area to offer high quality food and drink products.  Initially, Mey Selections Luxury All Butter Shortbread, Mey Selections Heather Honey and Mey Selections Blossom Honey will feature the new label on-pack.    Mey Selections can be purchased in many outlets across Scotland, and have national distribution throughout the UK in Sainsburys and on line at mey-selections.com , as well as through specialist quality food outlets.

Mey Selections will be one of seven leading companies in the third wave of new partners to trial the Trust’s draft Publicity Available Specification (PAS) 2050 – the standard used to assess the lifestyle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of goods and services. 
 
Delivering the natural goodness of the North Highlands to a wide range of discerning customers, Mey Selections ensure a sustainable and profitable future for their farmers, fishermen and food producers.  All major ingredients, as the name suggests, are sourced from within 100 miles of the Castle of Mey. 
 
An extensive range of high quality products is available, from beef, lamb and seafood, to a selection of honey, cheese and oakcakes.  To discover more, please visit http://www.mey-selections.com/.   
 
Editor’s Notes:
 
· For further information regarding North Highlands Products, please contact Maureen Brill on 01993 824350 or via email – maureen@brillconnection.co.uk.  Alternatively, please contact Andrew Lane or Susannah Milton at Rawlingson Lane Publicity on 01672 564099 or via email – rlp@rlpltd.co.uk.
 
· The formation of North Highland Products and the creation of the Mey Selections brand are direct results of the North Highlands Initiative inspired by HRH The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay, which was launched in August 2005 to boost the economy of the region.
 
· North Highland Products is the fastest growing food and drink Company in Scotland, last year scooping the prestigious Highlands and Islands Food and Drink Excellence Award.
 
· In recognition of its quality, Mey Selections Rib-eye Beef won the SuperMeat Award in the Fresh Meat Category in an event organised by the Meat Traders Journal in 2007. One of Mey Selections cheeses, Highland Blue, won a Gold Award in the World Cheese awards in 2006. In May 2007, Sainsburys Taste the Difference Mey Selections Meatballs received the top award from The Grocer magazine in the meat and poultry category of The Grocer Own Label Excellence Awards 2007.  In December 2006 the same product won the Best New Meat Product in the Meat Industry Awards in London.
 
· For further information on the Carbon Trust visit www.carbontrust.co.uk or www.bsi-global.com/en/Standards-and-Publications/How-we-can-help-you/Professional-Standards-Service/PAS-2050.
 
· To download this press release, a logo or hi-res image, simply go to www.rlpltd.co.uk and click on press office.  After entering your name, please put in the unique release code MS123Y.  This will then provide you with the information that can be downloaded.