The Welsh Government wants a food emoji from Wales to celebrate the nation's producers.
Food & Drink Wales is calling upon the Unicode Consortium, the global organisation responsible for regulating the international emoji portfolio, for the inclusion of a Welsh food or drink emoji.
The Welsh Government division is hoping that the presence of an emoji will work to boost awareness about Wales’ acclaimed culinary culture and booming food and drink sector.
In January the sector announced a record annual turnover figure of £7.47bn, surpassing the Welsh Government’s target of £7bn by 2020, and representing sector growth of 30% since 2014.
The move comes off the back of the long campaigned for addition of the Welsh flag to the emoji keyboard in 2017.
The Unicode Consortium releases less than one hundred new emojis every year based on submissions from individuals and organisations who present their case with evidence for why each one is essential.
Such a small number of new releases means competition is fierce and the vast majority of applications are rejected.
Since 2010 emojis including sushi, burrito, curry, pizza, noodles and sake have all joined the line-up, with key moments including the arrival of the taco in 2015, lobbied for by US fast food giant Taco Bell, and the much-hyped avocado in 2016.
Most Read
Food & Drink Wales will be submitting a number of potential emoji options to the Unicode Consortium that have a direct affiliation with Wales, with designs for consideration including Welsh lamb, Welsh cake, leek, bara brith and Caerphilly cheese.
Lesley Griffiths, minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, said: “With a food and drink landscape and culture as rich and diverse as the one we have in Wales it would be enormously gratifying to see this reflected as an emoji in the Unicode Standard in order that it may be one of the billions of emojis sent daily.”