Hansard

Thank you, Presiding Officer.

It was certainly the case that we made huge strides with the Commonwealth games. Compared with, perhaps, every previous Commonwealth games, there was much more local food for sale. I have spoken to many Scottish companies that benefited hugely from Glasgow 2014. It is the case—as the member has perhaps alluded to—that what we managed to achieve with the Ryder cup was absolutely fabulous, as there was perhaps more control for Scotland over some of the issues. However, both platforms were used to maximum effect for Scottish food and drink and this country’s reputation.

A legacy of Glasgow 2014 is the sustainable food charter, which was rolled out to the other major events, such as the Ryder cup and homecoming 2014, and which will feature strongly in the 2015 year of food and drink. It is no wonder that Cate Devine in The Herald called the food charter that we have developed—the first of its kind—“deeply impressive”. That is why we are now going to encourage the adoption of the food charter for every event, every organisation and hopefully—one day—every town and city in Scotland.

Along with those successes since 2007, there has been huge activity in other areas. Food is not just about sales and profit, and we have devoted unprecedented effort to food education, helping young people to understand the role that food plays in their lives and ensuring that they have the facts that they need at their disposal to make informed choices for their future.

We have also made real progress with the introduction of “Supporting Healthy Choices: A Framework for Voluntary Action” for the food industry to encourage consumers to make healthier choices, and we are working to ensure that the public sector is walking the walk and not just talking the talk. In 2007, the food in our schools and care homes was estimated to be 34 per cent sourced from Scotland; it is now estimated at just under 50 per cent, and that percentage is growing. Total expenditure on Scottish food and drink by the public sector in Scotland is now nearly £150 million.

As well as pupils, we want patients in our hospitals to enjoy good food. Scotland has led the way in the United Kingdom on developing and monitoring standards of nutritional care and catering in our hospitals. We have made good progress, but we recognise that we can do more to drive up standards, which is why we will consult on whether nutritional and catering standards in hospitals should be placed on a statutory footing.

We are debating an undisputed success story. “Recipe for Success” has achieved exactly what it says on the tin and Scotland has some of the best food and drink in the world and our reputation is world class. However, there are areas of unfinished business. In part, that is about continuing to be ambitious for the industry, and we are not resting on our laurels. My ambition, which I know is shared by leaders in the sector, is that in 10 years’ time Scotland should be well known throughout the world as one of the best places for food and drink businesses to be based.

More than that, there is something not quite right about our nation’s relationship with food. That presents a profound paradox that I am confronted with every day of my life, not just as a minister with responsibility for food but as a member of the public and, indeed, a parent. Our food quality may be world beating, but unfortunately we are also beating much of the world on diet-related ill health. The average waistline of Scottish men has grown by 2 inches in a decade and two thirds of Scots continue to be overweight or obese. The current obesity trend is set to cost Scotland £3 billion by 2030, and fruit and vegetable consumption among the poorest 20 per cent of the population has fallen by 20 per cent since the recession.

The problem goes wider than that: it is also about waste. We still throw away about a fifth of all the food that we purchase, which costs us more than £1 billion. We can learn a lot from food waste recycling, such as happened at Glasgow 2014.

While too many of us are buying and wasting too much food, too many of our fellow citizens cannot afford to put food on their tables. Food poverty in 21st century Scotland is a scandal that we all have a responsibility to tackle—820,000 people in this country are living in relative poverty. Everyone should have access to affordable healthy food. We recently announced an extra £1 million over the next three years to help to combat food poverty in Scotland and we want to ensure that those who use food banks as a result of the United Kingdom’s welfare reforms can access appropriate advice and support.

Our policy must also tackle ignorance, generally speaking, across the population, about what lies behind what we eat: where it comes from and how it is prepared. We have to create a culture that attaches greater importance to our food.

Today is not about reflecting on progress; it is about saying that we will no longer put up with all those paradoxes. That is why I am committed to making Scotland a good food nation. Scotland is already well known as a land of food and drink, but we also need to become known for the quality of the food that we serve, eat and sell day by day. It needs to become second nature that everyone in Scotland serves, eats and sells fresh and tasty food with sound health and environmental credentials.

We want everyone to know what constitutes good food and why. All players in Scottish life—from schools to hospitals, retailers, restaurants and manufacturers—should be committed to serving such food.

We know that becoming a good food nation will not be easy. The challenge requires commitment from all to change. It will take time, but the impact will affect future generations. The Scottish Government is fully behind the aspiration, which will be pursued with vigour under our new First Minister, reinforced by new powers resulting from the current constitutional process. Above all, a broad coalition for change, involving many areas, will be required. That is why in June I launched a discussion document: “Recipe For Success: Scotland’s National Food and Drink Policy—Becoming a Good Food Nation”. Its purpose was to start this phase of the debate about our food future. It sought people’s views on what it would mean to be a good food nation and what steps would have to be taken locally, nationally, at grass-roots level and so on. The consultation process closed in late October and we are currently analysing the responses.

We must understand what people think about our food and drink culture. As a starter for 10, we think that public food, local food and children’s food are the right areas to focus on more in future. Of course, that will be in tandem with our efforts on exports and economic growth—those are not mutually exclusive aspirations.

There will be other important issues and we will shortly be ready to establish a Scottish food commission to help us with them. The commission will have two roles. First, it will advise on the key areas that need to be taken forward. Secondly, it will advocate the importance of food to Scotland’s health, environment, economy and general quality of life. For Scotland to become a good food nation, it is vital that we involve everyone from all walks of life, which is why the commission’s work will be supported by a network of local champions the length and breadth of Scotland.

I make no apologies for the fact that becoming a good food nation will be a challenge for us all. It will not happen in one fell swoop; it will happen as we create together good food communities, villages, towns and regions the length and breadth of the country. However there is no better time for this to happen than now, with 2015 being the designated year of food and drink as part of the Government’s overarching tourism drive. That will provide further opportunity to showcase a fantastic industry, both at home and abroad, and to get people engaged in the debate.

A series of themes are being developed throughout the year and I hope that businesses and people across the country will harness all the opportunities available. Our food and drink sector is now well and truly in the spotlight and now is the time to capitalise on the strength of the industry—the provenance and the quality of our produce.

Becoming a good food nation and creating a good food culture will mean that, in 10 years’ time, when Europe or indeed the world thinks of good food, it thinks not only of Italy and France but of Scotland as well. That must be our aim and that is what we must achieve. I commend the motion to Parliament.

I move,

That the Parliament welcomes the achievements of Recipe for Success, Scotland’s first national food and drink policy; recognises the contribution that it has made to the unprecedented economic growth of the food and drink industry in Scotland and in export markets across the world; congratulates the primary producers and processors for their continued focus and commitment to quality and provenance; notes the increasing interest in local food and desire among consumers to know where their food comes from; welcomes the publication of the discussion document, Becoming a Good Food Nation, setting out the next steps for Scotland’s food and drink policy, and agrees that it must become second nature that Scots eat, serve and buy food that is healthy and environmentally sustainable if Scotland is to achieve the aspiration of becoming a good food nation.