The foundations have been laid to stamp out food fraud and give power back to the consumer with the unveiling of plans to build the country’s first national centre dedicated to food and drink transparency.

Food provenance pioneer, Happerley, revealed its plans to create a ground-breaking independent food and leisure destination as an epicentre of food transparency in England.

Situated in Banbury’s Castle Quay, Oxfordshire, Happerley England will give farmers, suppliers and producers a platform to champion their ‘Gold Standard’ produce, a marque accorded only to food and drink producers able to name the exact sources of their core ingredients back to the primary producers.

Developed in the context of the growing phenomenon of interest in food and drink and demand for transparency that is sweeping the UK, Happerley England will offer an experiential and inspiring insight into the very best English food and drink production and producers.

Whether it’s beef, cheese, coffee or bread, every core ingredient in Happerley England products will be instantly traceable back to the farms (or fishing boats) of its origin; combating the alarming £12billion (real figure estimated to be as much as £60billion) food fraud costs the UK annually.

The plans were announced during a special launch event at the farm where it all began for Happerley’s founder and CEO, Matthew Rymer, on Friday, July 12.

He said: “Happerley England is a focus, a celebration and a centre for the very finest food and drinks that have complete provenance. In too many cases the consumer is being misled and to my mind, it should be a basic right and expectation for the consumer to know where the food and drink they’ve purchased has come from.

“The reality of food production is being smoke screened, you’d be surprised how many brands do not want to identify their supply chain. Happerley England stands for delivering honesty and communicating that on behalf of everyone; it’s a beacon of transparency.”

The event was hosted by TV presenter and farmer Adam Henson, who unveiled the plans alongside a panel of stakeholders and representatives.

He said: “This was a grassroots idea from a farmer who's got incredible vision and the momentum has gained a very fast pace to get to where it is today at this magnificent launch. This is a legacy for Happerley - even if a business can’t turn Happerley Transparent straight away, it stimulates conversation and that is so important. This will pull the whole of society together.”