Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 22 March 2022
I will not.
Serving attractive food in schools and other institutions will allow us to offer many more people the opportunity of eating together and sharing food, united by the joy of good food.
Through good food nation plans, the connection between food and health will help to reduce diet-related diseases and support people who have long-term conditions. Two weeks ago, I visited the recently opened dialysis unit in Rothesay, on the Isle of Bute, where I met a patient who receives dialysis three times a week. Until the unit opened, he had to travel to Inverclyde. He told me about the difference that having his dialysis close to home has made: he has time to prepare his evening meal so that it is ready when he returns from his treatment and he does not have to eat a microwaved meal. He is eating healthier food and he is happier.
In evidence, the committee heard stark figures from Iain Gulland, of Zero Waste Scotland, on food’s environmental impact. An area larger than China is used to grow food that is never eaten; 1 billion hungry people in the world could be fed on less than a quarter of the food that is wasted in the United Kingdom, the United States and Europe; and, in hospitality and food services in Scotland, the equivalent of 106 million meals—that is one in every six meals—is discarded every year.
Iain Gulland concluded by saying that Scottish households need support to end food waste and recycle as much as possible. Wasting food is wasting water, energy and resources. The Good Food Nation (Scotland) Bill should be an enabler for such support.
Scottish producers ensure that what they produce is increasingly healthy and environmentally sound. Professor Mary Brennan of the Scottish Food Coalition told the committee:
“A good food nation produces food that does as little harm as possible to the environment. It produces and consumes food that is produced to the highest welfare and wellbeing standards. It looks after its natural resources: the animals, fish, watercourses and marine environments that are central to our existence.”—[Official Report, Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee, 19 January 2022; c 8.]
Shopping for tempting food can and should be an enjoyable experience, but it becomes a misery for people if most of what they can see is too expensive and they and their loved ones must do without. However, minimum wage levels, the cost of heating homes and the increase in national insurance are subjects for different debates. Today, we can continue to put Scotland on a course that will make school meals, hospital meals and all foods that are served by public bodies support the health and wellbeing of our nation.
Serving the right food can improve our communities and our environment. Sourcing local ingredients sustainably supports local economies, cuts food miles and helps us on the road to net zero carbon emissions—and, in this complex and turbulent time in world history, increasing food self-sufficiency makes strategic sense.
If we are to do all of that, we need to support Scottish producers in ways that enable them to provide quality ingredients at prices that people can afford. And what producers we have! In my constituency, we have small and medium-sized enterprises that are coffee roasters; tea growers; dairy, beef and lamb farmers; ice cream producers; vegan cheese makers; and fish and shellfish fishers. That is not to forget the folk with gardens and allotments who grow their own fruit and veg.
Professor Michael Fakhri, UN special rapporteur on the right to food, provided a statement to the committee by video. He said:
“Covid-19 has laid bare the inequalities and underlying issues in every country’s food system. In this context, your good food nation bill is a timely and exemplary response to address deep-rooted challenges.”
I support the motion.
15:49