Another of Scotland's traditional foods is a step further to being officially recognised and protected, as Orkney Beremeal launches its application for Protected Food Name (PFN) status.

The application, which was launched the Scottish Speciality Food Show, was developed by The Birsay Heritage Trust under the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) category, with support from the PFN team at Think Local.

It is hoped that protected status will raise awareness of and safeguard the survival of Orkney Beremeal.

Bere is a distinct Northern Scottish, six-­row local barley, and at present bere is the only 6-??rowed spring barley on the UK market.

Beremeal is the flour milled from Bere - historically the flour was used throughout Scotland and barley bannocks were eaten widely as the main bread. From nineteenth century onwards its use declined except for the Highlands and Islands, on Orkney and Shetland it remained used as bread.

Keith Johnson of Birsay Heritage Trust "Bere is an ancient, heritage grain and was about to pass into history when it was saved by Birsay Heritage Trust. The charitable Trust operates the Barony Mill in Orkney, one of the few working water mills in Scotland, to produce stone-­??ground bere meal for sale to the public.

"Beremeal has a distinctive flavour and colour and is thought to be low in gluten. We hope to increase our sales of this unique product to the mainland of UK."

Food Secretary Richard Lochhead said: "Beremeal is among some of the many iconic Orcadian products, and achieving PFN status will ensure that consumers at home and abroad have a one hundred per cent guarantee of the products' authenticity.

"This is Scotland's Year of Food and Drink, providing us with a fantastic opportunity to showcase the country's excellent local produce to a worldwide audience and develop our already stellar reputation as a Land of Food and Drink. People want to know that they are buying the real deal when they are purchasing Scottish produce, and producers in Orkney have already achieved PFN status for Orkney Lamb, Orkney Beef and Orkney Cheddar.

"Elsewhere in Scotland foods such as Stornoway Black Pudding and Scotch Beef have been awarded Protected Geographical Indicator status, guaranteeing the food's provenance and supporting local producers.

"The PFN scheme can benefit producers of brands synonymous with Scotland by providing them with recognition of their product and safeguarding it from imitation, and I would encourage them to look at taking this forward."