LOCAL food companies are competing to earn a space on the shelves of one of the UK’s leading supermarkets.

Last week, local food and drink makers met Morrisons at an event in an attempt to gain a place on the supermarket’s shelves.

Morrisons announced the search for local suppliers in February after research found that customers want to see more food and drink made and produced ‘just down the road’ from their communities.

More than 70 producers from across Wales applied to take part in the regional programme. The best 16 suppliers were then invited to Llanarth Village hall in Llanarth on Monday, June 12 where they pitched to Morrisons buyers, customers and local store colleagues.

The local companies that took part include Cross Hands-based Cig Calon Cymru Ltd, who began exporting meat from Cross Hands to Singapore earlier this year, Little Welsh Deli Cross Hands-based savory protein bar creators Fori and Carmarthen’s Preseli Bluestone Meats Ltd.

The supermarket already stocks lots of the foods Wales is famous for, from Welsh cakes, Welsh lamb and beef to Shirgar butter, Colliers cheese and in-store baked bara brith.

Matt Trigg, Morrisons Local Solutions Manager for Wales said: “Wales has a long history of great, local food and the producers we’ve seen today have been no exception.

“After seeing the quality of the food here this week, we’re keen to put even more food made in South Wales on our customers’ plates.”

Local foodmakers who attended the event in Llanarth on Monday included: Preseli Bluestone Meats Ltd who make home made Pork Sausages in various flavours and home made Welsh Beef/Welsh Lamb Burgers The Little Welsh Deli; who make a range of Welsh pasties from locally sourced ingredients, and Fori, the UK’s first savoury protein bar made from meat.

They were joined by Cig Calon Cymru, Welsh meat specialists and Pembrokeshire Beach Food Company, who create dried seaweed flakes in a re-sealable stand up/clip strip pouch, promoting the use of seaweed as a source of flavour in every day cooking - just like traditional herbs.

The suppliers who Morrisons think have what it takes to supply its stores will now be invited to a final round at the supermarket’s head office in Bradford.