Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 22 March 2022
The Good Food Nation (Scotland) Bill is the first piece of legislation that I have been involved in, and I thank the committee clerks and my fellow committee members for their hard work and dedication to this vitally important issue.
We took evidence from organisations from Shetland to Argyll and Bute, and from Zero Waste Scotland to the Scottish Food Coalition. That evidence will support a bill that will take Scotland further along the road to becoming a good food nation by creating a national plan and requiring plans to be created by public bodies. As Jayne Jones of Argyll and Bute Council said,
“We are already on that journey—we are not at the very beginning of it. We need to recognise the progress that we have already made, but the good food nation agenda gives us the opportunity to do more.”—[Official Report, Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee, 9 February 2022; c 43.]
Food and cuisine are important to me. My culinary journey has been a bit of a winding road. I went from turning down good Scottish puddings covered in custard at school to looking forward to them when at a freezing filming location, and from only eating haddock smothered in ketchup as a child to enjoying fish of every variety as my top food choice. Personally, I am pleased that the Scottish Government has the vision of Scotland being a good food nation where it is normal for Scots to love their food and know what constitutes good food.
We took evidence from Robin Gourlay, who helped to develop “Recipe for Success” when he was at East Ayrshire Council. He said:
“If you look at the work of Scotland Food & Drink, other industry bodies, our colleagues working in health and those working in climate, you see that there is a consensus to do something better with food.”—[Official Report, Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee, 19 January 2022; c 6.]
There is also a consensus that those who serve and sell food—from schools to hospitals, and from retailers to restaurants—should serve and sell the best. One of my staff members recalls with pleasure the lunches that he and his friends enjoyed when Dunoon grammar school upped its game and began to provide food that was both nutritious and delicious. He reflects on how the meals were especially important to youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The Scottish Government invested £5 million in food education projects between 2010 and 2017. There we see public policy improving the lives and health of vulnerable individuals. That is the next part of the vision for Scotland as a good food nation: that everyone in Scotland has easy access to the healthy and nutritious food that they need.
Food not only feeds the body but enriches our lives in other ways. It is a way of bringing people together, from Burns suppers to the food that is served at Sikh gurdwaras. However, for all too many children, home cooking is a ready meal served in front of the television.