They are available everywhere from supermarkets and convenience stores to cafés, hospitals, universities, travel hubs and workplace restaurants.

When the British Sandwich Association was formed, the industry looked very different.

Commercial sandwich manufacturing was developing rapidly and a collection of businesses that had once operated relatively independently was beginning to emerge as a recognisable industry in its own right.

Growth brought opportunity, but it brought challenges too.

Food safety was an obvious priority. Fresh sandwiches combine ingredients that need careful handling, have a relatively short shelf life and, increasingly, were being produced in substantial volumes for distribution through major retailers.

The emerging industry needed standards. It needed a way of sharing knowledge and good practice. And it needed a collective voice.

More than a trade body

The British Sandwich Association brought manufacturers and the wider supply chain together around those common interests.

From its early years, the Association became involved in developing manufacturing guidance and encouraging consistently high standards across the industry. Technical issues that might once have been tackled by individual companies could increasingly be considered collectively.

Communication mattered too.

Sandwich & Snack News provided a dedicated publication for a sector that was becoming increasingly important in its own right, while meetings and other Association activities gave businesses opportunities to exchange ideas and address shared challenges.

That combination – bringing people together while improving standards across the industry – would become a recurring theme throughout the Association's history.

Celebrating the sandwich

There was another side to the story.

The Association wasn't simply there to deal with problems. It also wanted to champion the industry and celebrate the people and businesses behind it.

Initiatives such as British Sandwich Week helped put the sandwich in the public spotlight, while the industry awards – which would develop into today's Sammies – provided an opportunity to recognise innovation, achievement and excellence.

As the industry became larger and more sophisticated, the Association was helping it develop an identity of its own.

The sandwich business was coming of age.

And it was about to get much bigger.