The British Sandwich Association (BSA) has announced it will mark the 250th anniversary of the sandwich, in 2012, with a year-long promotional campaign.

January will see a consumer announcement of the anniversary, with the campaign building throughout the year, “with direct support for the industry through a series of activities designed to highlight the increasingly important role sandwiches play in all our lives”, said the BSA.

The promotional campaign will include the launch of a special logo, which will feature in activities throughout the year, and will be available from a number of packaging and labelling suppliers, as well as from the Association.

The BSA is also launching a new consumer website – www.lovesarnies.com – which has been designed to work alongside social media sites to support the campaign, as well to highlight any specific promotions being organised by retailers and caterers.

Starting in March there will be a ‘Sandwich of the Month’ campaign, with the recipes of the featured sandwiches sent distrbuted in advance to retailers and manufacturers. The first Sandwich of the Month will feature bacon to coincide with Bacon Connoisseurs’ Week’s ‘Red, White & Bacon’ theme.

According to the Association, UK consumers today eat more than 11 billion sandwiches a year, over three billion of which are bought ready-to-eat from retail and catering outlets.

Full details can be found at www.sandwich.org.uk.