Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 22 March 2022
I hope that the member appreciates that it is only fair that I give the report and all the work that has gone into it full and due consideration, which I am undertaking. As I just said, I will be issuing my response to the committee prior to stage 2.
All the views and ideas have been and are being considered carefully during the bill process. At the heart of the bill is the requirement on the Scottish Government and key public authorities to draft, consult on, publish and keep under review good food nation plans. The scope of those plans is intended to be broad and ambitious. Through the good food nation plan, the Government will be obliged to set out clearly for the public the outcomes that we aim to achieve in food-related issues, the policies that we intend to put in place and, critically, the metrics on which our progress can be measured.
Scottish ministers will also be obliged to consider how the good food nation plan relates to specific functions that they carry out, which will further enhance our joined-up approach to food policy. The bill creates similar obligations on local authorities and health boards, which will lead to greater coherence of food policy at national and local levels.
I want the good food nation plans to really deliver for our nation’s social and economic wellbeing, education, the environment, people’s health and economic development. For that reason, I completely agree with the RAINE Committee’s view that consultation on our good food nation plans must be as wide, inclusive and participatory as possible. It is only through involving others, particularly those whose voices are too easy to ignore and who can benefit the most from change, that we will achieve important changes to our food system and food culture.
One of the key issues that was raised and debated during stage 1 concerned the right to food and how best to incorporate that into law. We are committed to doing that, and in the co-operation agreement with the Scottish Greens, we set out not only the intention but how we will achieve it. The Scottish Government intends to bring together a raft of rights under upcoming human rights legislation. That legislation will incorporate into Scots law the right to an adequate standard of living, which includes the right to adequate food. I am pleased that the committee supports that approach.
A recurring theme in written and oral evidence was the need for scrutiny throughout the development of the good food nation plans. I agree. I acknowledge the committee’s call in its stage 1 report for a greater role for the Scottish Parliament in scrutinising the good food nation plans and the committee’s specific recommendations on how to achieve that. As part of the next stages of the bill process, I will consider how best to enhance relevant provisions.
Another key issue was oversight, with some contributors calling for a stand-alone food commission to oversee the delivery of good food nation plans. As the committee recognises, views are mixed on the merits or otherwise of establishing a new statutory body, what its duties might be and whether new or existing organisations would be best placed to carry out such work.
As part of our shared policy programme with the Scottish Green Party, we committed to considering the need for a statutory body such as a food commission. That issue was widely deliberated on during the stage 1 process, and I am carefully considering the committee’s conclusions and recommendations on oversight.
I turn to the question of outcomes and targets. The stage 1 process gathered a wide range of opinions and views from stakeholders. Some called for the inclusion of detailed targets in the bill, others wanted to see more high-level objectives and many called for a statement of intent or some incorporation of the vision in the bill.
The Scottish Government has already set food and nutrition-related targets such as reducing food waste by 33 per cent by 2025 and aiming to halve childhood obesity by 2030. We have also taken action to reflect the need to meet such targets, such as publishing guidance on healthy eating in schools to improve the nutritional quality of school food.
I agree with the committee, which did not recommend that targets be included in the bill.