Meeting of the Parliament 13 September 2018
Of course, a good food nation bill is not the only solution to the problems that we face, but it is a necessary part of that solution. It has—or rather, it had—unanimous cross-party support, and much of what should be in such a dedicated bill is already clear. That is what the Government should consult on, not more process.
A bold good food nation bill is an opportunity for Scotland to lead the way in environmental sustainability, health eating, animal welfare and working with our trade unions to drive up terms and condition for our food and drink workforce who, too often, are some of Scotland’s lowest-paid workers. Crucially, a good food nation bill is an opportunity to enshrine in law the right to food, paving the way for a duty on our public bodies, with clear targets for action that would be backed by an independent statutory body to ensure that action is delivered. We have still not had a commitment from the Government to do that. The Government must renew its commitment to a dedicated, bold good food nation bill that has tackling poverty and the right to food at its heart. I therefore call on the Government to do so and move amendment S5M-13876.4, to insert at end:
“, and calls for a Good Food Nation Bill that has tackling food poverty and the right to food at its heart, ensuring a joined-up approach across government, local authorities, trade unions and public bodies to realise Scotland's Good Food Nation ambition.”
15:03Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.