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Every contribution to the Official Report — chamber and committee — searchable in one place. Pulled from data.parliament.scot, indexed for full-text search, linked through to every MSP.

129
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2,354,908
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1999–2026
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Showing 60 of 2,354,908 contributions. Latest 30 days: 0. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 25 Mar 2026.
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
24 Jan 2023
Food Standards Scotland
When I went to the Royal Highland Show, some of the producers told me that, through their work, they can tell exactly what is in the mince and where it has come from, which is quite incredible. I am not sure whether you will be able answer my last question, but I want to ask ...
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
10 Jun 2025
Food Standards Scotland
Good morning. I declare an interest as a practising NHS GP. I am concerned about the biosecurity of our food, given that only 5 per cent of live animal imports are subject to checks although the target is 100 per cent. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs an...
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
10 Jun 2025
Food Standards Scotland
My final question is about food security. Given the ever-changing landscape in geopolitics, it is important that we secure our own food and resources in Scotland and across the wider UK. However, I have just finished watching “Clarkson’s Farm”, which demonstrated the precariou...
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
24 Jan 2023
Food Standards Scotland
If we look at food logistics, we see that it is incredibly complicated to get meat from the farm to our tables. What does Food Standards Scotland do to ensure that safety and standards are maintained at every step of that incredibly complicated journey?
Sandesh Gulhane (Glasgow) (Con) Con Chamber
09 May 2023
Topical Question Time · Junior Doctors (Industrial Action)
I have been there, as a junior doctor struggling against the system. Many junior doctors are now experiencing burnout. I recently visited University hospital Ayr and saw the difference that access to good nutritious food can make to concentration levels and to preventing fatig...
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
07 May 2024
Food Standards Scotland
Certainly, a lot of people who speak to me say that Irn Bru has been ruined by reformulation. Laughter. This is a big topic and it is not fair to give you just one question on it, but I want to ask you about school meals. We need to see big healthy choices for school meals, a...
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
10 Jun 2025
Food Standards Scotland
I accept that you deal with the food end, but, obviously, food comes from somewhere—that is, from farms. That is what I had in mind. I was thinking about the entire supply chain.
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
10 Jun 2025
Food Standards Scotland
On the food science, there is a lot of evidence that ultra-processed foods simply make us eat more. If we take Pringles as an example, we can consider the noise that the can makes, and food is now a lot softer than it used to be. There is an initial crunch and then it disappea...
Sandesh Gulhane (Glasgow) (Con) Con Committee
02 Sep 2025
National Good Food Nation Plan
I declare an interest as a practising national health service general practitioner. From what has been said so far, I am hearing that the solution is not down to individuals but to the way that food looks in a store and that we do not need people to cook. The answer that you g...
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
17 Feb 2026
Food Standards Scotland and the First National Good Food Nation Plan
Thank you. I will just stay with you, Professor Brennan. What modelling has been done on the cumulative regulatory impact on small Scottish food producers?
Sandesh Gulhane (Glasgow) (Con) Con Committee
17 Feb 2026
Food Standards Scotland and the First National Good Food Nation Plan
Good morning. There is a sum of £4.4 million to support local authorities, health boards and the newly established Scottish Food Commission. What is the total administrative cost of the commission?
Sandesh Gulhane (Glasgow) (Con) Con Committee
09 Nov 2021
Session 6 Priorities
Good morning, minister. My question is in two parts, and is about ensuring that children get good-quality food in school. What standards are in place to ensure that children get good-quality food and that there is not an unhealthy option that is always taken up? What is being...
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
24 Jan 2023
Food Standards Scotland
Absolutely. It is not the only solution, and we need to do a lot more, but it is certainly important, and we need to spend time educating people on that. Look at Scotland’s diet. We in Scotland are one of the fattest nations in the world. I cannot really talk, because I am ov...
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
24 Jan 2023
Food Standards Scotland
On the issue of choice, I often hear people saying that they struggle to know what to buy and struggle to cook. Lots of companies—we do not want to promote them, but I am thinking of companies such as HelloFresh and Gousto—create a food box to send to people. You get everythin...
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
24 Jan 2023
Food Standards Scotland
That is interesting. I am glad that you brought that up, because my last question is about education. We need people to be more aware of the food that is consumed. That includes looking at labels, but there is only so often that I can stand in an aisle, stare at a packet, go t...
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
24 Jan 2023
Food Standards Scotland
I want to ask Heather Kelman a question on the back of her answers to Emma Harper. It is true that it is more expensive to buy higher-quality cuts of meat, but I feel that we might eat too much meat. Having a diet the majority of which is vegetarian, with fish and a reduced in...
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
07 May 2024
Food Standards Scotland
I declare an interest, in that I am a practising NHS GP. I am a bit disappointed to hear that the issue of a reduction in red meat is due to the climate report, not simply to a discussion about healthy eating. I was glad that Dr Purdon eventually spoke about the risk of colore...
Sandesh Gulhane (Glasgow) (Con) Con Chamber
18 Mar 2025
Food and Drink Sector
Given that the ambition is for everyone to be able to have good food, when is that going to come into the national health service?
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
02 Sep 2025
National Good Food Nation Plan
BBC Good Food has 37 15-minute recipes for people to use. There are slow cookers that use very little energy and can create healthy meals when you are not even there. Surely that is the type of thing that we need to be promoting.
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
02 Sep 2025
National Good Food Nation Plan
A lot of people would disagree with that. When I worked in the hospital sector, we used to joke that, if you smell the food and you are hungry, something is really wrong. On the nutritional intake, when Army people go into hospitals, they are on double portions to try to pull...
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
02 Sep 2025
National Good Food Nation Plan
I would like to go back quickly to schools, because I did not get an opportunity to ask about this. We spoke about the food environment outside a school. When I walk down the street, I see an awful lot of secondary school children leaving to go to the chip shop to get the spec...
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
02 Sep 2025
National Good Food Nation Plan
I declare an interest as a practising NHS GP. We have the good food nation plan before us. Is it incumbent on Government-funded organisations, such as the NHS, to provide good-quality locally sourced meals?
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
02 Sep 2025
National Good Food Nation Plan
The next topic is about children. If we look at our kids, we can see that 30 per cent are going to be overweight and 17 per cent will be obese. In previous evidence sessions, we have heard about how someone from a deprived area is twice as likely to be obese as those who are t...
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
17 Feb 2026
Food Standards Scotland and the First National Good Food Nation Plan
It is not great that we do not have clear monetary figures. What modelling—
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
17 Feb 2026
Food Standards Scotland and the First National Good Food Nation Plan
By anyone.
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
17 Feb 2026
Food Standards Scotland and the First National Good Food Nation Plan
Yes.
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
17 Feb 2026
Food Standards Scotland and the First National Good Food Nation Plan
Are you saying that we do not have safe, sustainable and fair conditions for businesses?
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
17 Feb 2026
Food Standards Scotland and the First National Good Food Nation Plan
Are you saying that it is those things now?
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
17 Feb 2026
Food Standards Scotland and the First National Good Food Nation Plan
Yes.
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
17 Feb 2026
Food Standards Scotland and the First National Good Food Nation Plan
Staying on that subject, when do you envisage that section 10 will be commenced?
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
17 Feb 2026
Food Standards Scotland and the First National Good Food Nation Plan
Like you, I am worried about the health of our children and want to ensure that our kids have the healthiest possible start in life. You spoke about being able to look at the diets, and Geoff Ogle spoke about how indicators of children’s health should be our primary focus. Wha...
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
17 Feb 2026
Food Standards Scotland and the First National Good Food Nation Plan
Thank you.
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
17 Feb 2026
Food Standards Scotland and the First National Good Food Nation Plan
What safeguards are in place for rural economies—in particular, for livestock farmers?
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
17 Feb 2026
Food Standards Scotland and the First National Good Food Nation Plan
My question was very much centred around modelling. Losing businesses as a result of bringing in regulations would be even worse for our health.I turn to my final question. Of the 51 high-level indicators, what would you say are the core couple of indicators?
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
17 Feb 2026
Food Standards Scotland and the First National Good Food Nation Plan
That is why I was asking about the core ones.
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
17 Feb 2026
Food Standards Scotland and the First National Good Food Nation Plan
Forgive me—I did not say, “more important”; I asked what the core indicators were.
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
08 Feb 2022
Health and Care Bill
Cabinet secretary, do you feel that a unified UK approach to the advertising of unhealthy food and drink would be better than individual approaches?
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
03 May 2022
Provisional Common Framework on Food Composition Standards and Labelling
In February, you spoke about how you were keen to remain aligned with EU law where such an alignment was appropriate and in Scotland’s best interests. Will you give any examples of where the Government might choose to diverge from EU law?
Sandesh Gulhane (Glasgow) (Con) Con Committee
17 May 2022
Social Care
Good morning, minister. Let me give you an example of something that is, unfortunately, all too common. This example is from a home-help staff member, who told me that she gets only 15 minutes per client. She uses the term “client”, not “patient”, as do quite a lot of people—i...
Sandesh Gulhane (Glasgow) (Con) Con Committee
21 Jun 2022
Health Inequalities
Professor Marmot, I remember reading about everything that you were doing when I was at medical school, so it is great to be able to see you and speak to you. I have a question for Professor Meier. I believe that you founded the Sheffield alcohol research group. Through all t...
Sandesh Gulhane (Glasgow) (Con) Con Chamber
10 Nov 2022
Alternative Pathways to Primary Care
Primary care is the backbone of the NHS, and it is at breaking point. With increasing demands and limited capacity, it is in a perpetual extreme winter. The expectations that are being placed on GPs and their practices are causing burn-out and demoralisation and are, ultimatel...
Sandesh Gulhane Con Chamber
17 Jan 2023
Surgical Mesh and Fixation Devices
My preference would be to have what the surgeon deemed to be most appropriate for me. Interruption. No—if that involved the surgeon saying that he or she thought that mesh would be the correct procedure, I would whole-heartedly go forward with that. It would depend on the hern...
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
24 Jan 2023
Food Standards Scotland
I am a little flabbergasted at the idea that we will never solve anything if we do not ensure that individuals eat less and exercise more. As a general practitioner, I tell my patients about ways to improve their diet and ways to exercise. Not everyone is able to do the same t...
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
24 Jan 2023
Food Standards Scotland
It is important to say that, if you are of darker skin, you should be taking vitamin D in Scotland all year round.
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
02 May 2023
Scrutiny of NHS Boards (NHS Dumfries and Galloway, NHS Tayside and NHS Lanarkshire)
I often hear staff say that it is, as they always describe it, the little things that make a huge difference. On my visit to University hospital Ayr, I noted that it had a fantastic canteen that provides hot food at night time. Does your hospital do that?
Sandesh Gulhane Con Chamber
15 Jun 2023
General Question Time · Child Obesity Rate
Absolutely. The consultation by the minister is the fourth consultation on restricting promotions on junk food. Will the Government commit that it will be the last consultation and that action will follow?
Sandesh Gulhane Con Chamber
06 Sep 2023
Equality within the 2023-24 Programme for Government
I would really like it if the Government was on top of its brief and actually did the things that we need it to do when it comes to healthcare, which I will go on to point out in the rest of my speech. With regard to alcohol, the SNP has tried one flagship approach: to make ...
Sandesh Gulhane (Glasgow) (Con) Con Chamber
07 Sep 2023
Alcohol Services
I refer to my entry in the register of members’ interests—I am a practising NHS general practitioner—and congratulate Carol Mochan on securing time for this most important debate. We have a problem with alcohol. That includes the binge drinking that is seen up and down our to...
Sandesh Gulhane (Glasgow) (Con) Con Chamber
19 Sep 2023
Drug Law Reform
I refer members to my entry in the register of interests, which shows that I am a practising NHS general practitioner. Minister Elena Whitham states in her motion that the Scottish Government is required “to use every lever at its disposal to save and improve lives”, but ha...
Sandesh Gulhane (Glasgow) (Con) Con Chamber
23 Jan 2024
Breastfeeding
I draw members’ attention to my entry in the register of members’ interests, which shows that I am a practising NHS general practitioner. Relevant to this debate is that I am also a father of two. Two thirds of the 48,000 newborn babies in Scotland each year start life by bei...
Sandesh Gulhane Con Chamber
08 Feb 2024
Minimum Unit Pricing of Alcohol
—as a result of my complaint. Let us start with alcohol-related deaths: they are at a 14-year high in Scotland. Even a novice statistician would tell you that hospitalisation data is not statistically significant. There are 40 studies on the evaluation of MUP, and only one ha...
Sandesh Gulhane (Glasgow) (Con) Con Chamber
17 Apr 2024
Parliamentary Bureau Motions
I declare my interest as a practising national health service general practitioner. The Scottish National Party Government might trumpet in this chamber its minimum unit pricing policy as a so-called major success, but I would ask the Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy to ...
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
07 May 2024
Food Standards Scotland
I will come back to schools. I do not particularly want to start banning things, but let us look at a meal deal from a supermarket. You get a sandwich, a drink and something else for a set price. I do not know many people who would choose a single banana over that massive choc...
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
07 May 2024
Food Standards Scotland
On that point, the supermarket knows everything about me through all my cards. I do not know, but they might even track the way that I walk through the supermarket. What we do know is that the most valuable spaces are the shelves that are at eye level, the end-of-aisle shelves...
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
07 May 2024
Food Standards Scotland
I believe that meal replacement shakes are part of a diet culture. A huge proportion of people—I suspect, most people—have been on diets, on and off, for their whole lives. Do consumers feel that things such as meal replacement shakes are healthy alternatives to eating well? I...
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
07 May 2024
Food Standards Scotland
On the perception of healthy foods versus what is actually healthy, a lot of people think that cereal bars are a very healthy alternative to having breakfast, whereas they are in fact full of sugar, salt and other things. A lot of foods are perceived to be healthy but are pate...
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
07 May 2024
Food Standards Scotland
We had a long discussion about that earlier. I know that time is against us, but I have a final question. I have been on your website and I looked at your X account. You have 6,000 followers, or maybe fewer than that, so that is certainly something that can be improved. I did...
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
07 May 2024
Food Standards Scotland
Thank you.
Sandesh Gulhane Con Chamber
11 Dec 2024
Portfolio Question Time · Public Information and Public Messaging (Hindi Provision)
The 2022 census disclosed that Indians are the second largest immigrant group in Scotland. Hindi, the official language of India, is the third most widely spoken language in the world, with the number of Hindi speakers in Scotland equalling approximately the population of Pert...
Sandesh Gulhane Con Committee
02 Sep 2025
National Good Food Nation Plan
Okay. Indian chickpeas with poached eggs: prep time five minutes; cook time 10 minutes. I will ask Claire Hislop about hospitals. A BBC survey in 2017 said that there was a cost of 94p per meal per patient. How are we getting good, healthy meals for that cost?
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Committee

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee 24 January 2023

24 Jan 2023 · S6 · Health, Social Care and Sport Committee
Item of business
Food Standards Scotland
Gulhane, Sandesh Con Glasgow Watch on SPTV
When I went to the Royal Highland Show, some of the producers told me that, through their work, they can tell exactly what is in the mince and where it has come from, which is quite incredible. I am not sure whether you will be able answer my last question, but I want to ask it. Along with food safety, food security is important. With the war in Ukraine and possible future conflicts on the horizon, I am incredibly concerned about whether we can ensure food security in Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom. Is that an area that you are working on? Can you ensure that food security?

In the same item of business

The Convener SNP
Welcome back. The fourth item on our agenda is an evidence session with Food Standards Scotland. I welcome Heather Kelman, who is its chair, and Geoff Ogle, ...
Heather Kelman (Food Standards Scotland)
I will make just a short statement. Thank you. Good morning, convener and members of the committee. Geoff and I welcome the opportunity to represent Food St...
The Convener SNP
Thank you very much, Heather. A lot of our members want to speak to you about EU exit in detail and how that is impacting on the standards of, and access to,...
Heather Kelman
I agree that it has been a challenging year, especially coming straight off the back of Covid. Geoff Ogle will talk about some of the work that has arisen fr...
The Convener SNP
It is interesting that high-sugar, high-fat and salty foods are not being impacted as much as fresh food. It does not take a genius to work out that a family...
Heather Kelman
There is an impact on the health of children, and on the health of elderly people as well, because the energy-to-nutrient balance requirement changes again a...
The Convener SNP
You have pre-empted what I was going to ask. Big retailers have a big part to play in this. With the cost of living crisis, high energy costs and the other ...
Heather Kelman
We have no evidence of that yet, but it is early days. We have done a survey on how consumers’ eating trends are, as a consequence, changing. We are seeing t...
The Convener SNP
We will not know until it has happened. Geoff—you want to come in.
Geoff Ogle (Food Standards Scotland)
I have a couple of quick points to make. Every six months, we do a consumer tracker survey. Wave 15 was in July last year, and we are just going through the ...
The Convener SNP
Of course, a lot of those foods do not need to be cooked, and people might be unable to afford to put on their gas or electricity. Geoff, before I allow my ...
Geoff Ogle
I worked with the retail sector quite a lot on preparations for EU exit and during Covid. The industry across the piece had a fair amount of resilience, plan...
The Convener SNP
That is another thing that we see, to a certain extent, with energy prices. The trading prices of energy come down a bit, but that is not passed on to the co...
Geoff Ogle
It is easier to bring prices down in some areas than it is in others. Many large organisations, in particular, will hedge their costs. The costs are fixed in...
The Convener SNP
You mentioned the Covid pandemic. Supermarkets were recording record profits at that time. Is that still the case? Are the major supermarkets still making th...
Geoff Ogle
I have also had discussions with the retailers on that. It is an interesting thing. I am not here to defend retailers, by the way. I want to put that on the ...
The Convener SNP
Yes; it is a fundamental question. I will pass on to my colleagues; I have hogged the mic for long enough.
David Torrance SNP
Good morning. What impact has Brexit had on your work on risk management and oversight functions?
Heather Kelman
I will pass that question to Geoff Ogle.
Geoff Ogle
Thanks. EU exit has had a major impact on us. If you look at the legal base, you will see that the extent of EU-derived food law is significant. Around 200 S...
David Torrance SNP
What benefits have emerged from collaboration between the FSS and the Food Standards Agency, as set out in the 2020 memorandum of understanding? How well is ...
Geoff Ogle
Our relationship with the FSA is pretty good and solid, partly because, before Food Standards Scotland came into being, we were Food Standards Agency Scotlan...
David Torrance SNP
In light of evidence as at December 2022, only one of the 32 common frameworks has been finalised. What risks are there to Scottish food supplies, safety and...
Geoff Ogle
Some of the mechanics of the formal agreements of the frameworks cannot be formalised because of the situation in Northern Ireland. The common frameworks wer...
David Torrance SNP
Thank you very much. I have no further questions. 11:00
Gillian Mackay Green
I have a follow-up question to David Torrance’s last question. Does that in essence mean that there is no way in which to enforce divergence for the differen...
Geoff Ogle
On the vagaries of the 2020 act, if we want to introduce particular terms in Scotland—for example, if we want to introduce a health initiative—as a matter of...
Gillian Mackay Green
Is there a danger that the system is more complicated now, with the 2020 act, the common frameworks and other pieces of legislation, than it was when we were...
Geoff Ogle
Yes, it is far more complicated. From our particular perspective, we have the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Act 2021 to consi...
The Convener SNP
Does Evelyn Tweed want to come in on that?