A BID is under way to get more Scottish produce onto restaurant plates.

Tomorrow, around 100 representatives from the Scottish food and drink industry will meet to help food suppliers get a foothold in the lucrative restaurant trade.

The Scottish Food and Drink Conference 2007: Exclusive Opportunities, has been organised to highlight ways in which firms can make inroads into a market currently worth more than £2billion per year.

It also employs 164,000 people, three-and-a-half times the food retail sector.

Around £1 of every £3 spent on food in the UK goes on eating out.

Maggie McGinlay, Director of Scottish Food and Drink, said: "The scale of the foodservice industry is staggering and offers huge potential for Scottish producers on their doorstep.

"Each year around 25,000 outlets, which includes caterers, schools, hospitals and staff canteens, as well as bars and restaurants serve 600million meals - that's two meals every second."

"We believe there is a particular opportunity for Scottish suppliers of high quality produce to service restaurants and caterers at the top end of the market, whose reputation is founded on the quality of their ingredients.

"The event will focus on premium foodservice - Shirley Spear of the award-winning Three Chimney's restaurant in Skye, will be our keynote speaker."

Some suppliers in the West of Scotland are already making the most of the market.

Glasgow chocolatier Simon Coyle's luxury Kschocolat brand is a runaway success. His products are stocked by the Dorchester and Four Seasons hotels in London, and top outlets in the USA.

One of the greatest success stories has been Kilmarnock's Braehead Foods, which has the support of chefs such as Martin Wishart, Andrew Fairlie, and Gordon Ramsay.

Last month, Gordon Ramsay's head chefs, James Durant of Maze and Mark Sargeant of Claridges joined the firm for pheasant shooting and deer stalking to learn more about game sourcing.

Braehead Foods managing director Craig Stevenson said: "Restaurants have leading chefs who want good quality, local produce, and the up-and-coming chefs follow their lead.

"It means games suppliers like us can be successful supplying the home market first and looking to other parts of Europe afterwards."

The Scottish Food and Drink Conference takes place at Hopetoun House, near Edinburgh.