Meeting of the Parliament 02 October 2014
Thank you, Presiding Officer. I do not intend to compete with either you or Mr McNeil in terms of puns, but I welcome the opportunity to speak at stage 1 of the Food (Scotland) Bill.
As the minister said, the background to this bill is the 1999 act that established the Food Standards Agency as a UK body, with the Scottish ministers at that time having authority to direct the FSA in relation to its activities in Scotland. The act gave the FSA the power to develop food policy, to audit enforcement—usually carried out by enforcement authorities as part of local authorities’ duties—to carry out research, to develop policy and to give advice on food and feedstuffs.
The Scottish section of the FSA has earned considerable respect among all those for whom it has acted; it had good standing with both the Government and the public. Most recently, its independent work in relation to the food fraud and horsemeat scandal was regarded as being of particular value.
However, in 2010, when the new coalition Government decided to split the FSA as a UK body, removing parts of its responsibility for nutrition and labelling in England, there was a need for us to consider what was going to happen in Scotland. Certainly it is a matter for the Westminster Parliament to determine how it governs its affairs down there, but there was a general view that the split somewhat hindered the response to the horsemeat scandal. Some of my Labour colleagues at Westminster feel that the role of industry in respect of the functions of the previous FSA has increased, which has not always been particularly helpful.
The bill that we are considering has arisen following the review that was undertaken by Professor Jim Scudamore. His clear advice, which the Government and my party fully accept, is that food safety should not be divorced from nutrition and labelling and, moreover, that advice on food safety, nutrition and meat inspection should come from a body that is at arm’s length from the Scottish ministers. That has been fully accepted and endorsed in the bill.
My colleague Claire Baker will deal at greater length with meat inspection—one of the functions of the body that remains of considerable importance. Colleagues will remember the BSE outbreak and the damage that was done to Scottish meat exports following the outbreak. Claire Baker will also deal with concerns that we have about those who are charged with inspection, given the squeeze on their numbers and the difficulties that they are facing.
Lewis Macdonald will look at the role of the Rowett institute of nutrition and health, issues around collaborative research and the memorandum of understanding, which we have heard is being developed.
I want to dwell briefly on two of the most important challenges that face public health in Scotland. Ever since we Scots gave up eating porridge in the morning as a regular part of our diet, we have increasingly adopted an unhealthy diet. Indeed, 140 years ago, workers in my constituency went on strike because they were receiving salmon three times a week. Now, oily fish such as salmon and herring are only just beginning to regain their place as part of our diet. Our diet is still too high in saturated fats and salt, and it contains excessive amounts of sugar. As our society has grown richer, we have seen excessive portion sizes, not to mention substantial food waste. The results of that, along with smoking and alcohol, have contributed significantly to Scotland being regarded as the sick man of Europe.
Mortality from heart disease has declined, but that has been due mainly to a reduction in smoking. The FSA, along with the food industry, has done a good job in reducing salt levels, but we still have a long way to go to reach a healthy level in that aspect of our diet. [Interruption.] I am sorry, Presiding Officer—I have been having some trouble with my iPad, which has been due an upgrade for some time.