New report from Scottish Food Coalition – A Good Food Nation for Scotland: Why and How

Today, a new report has been published by the Scottish Food Coalition, of which we are a member, highlighting the importance of Scotland becoming a Good Food Nation. For too long our food system has been broken, and needs to be transformed to deliver a fairer, healthier and sustainable food system for Scotland. The report outlines 9 core themes that encompass the interconnected challenges facing the food system, including public health and wellbeing, and food environments and culture.

Poor diets in Scotland are having a negative impact on our health. Our poor diet contributes to 4 out of the top 5 risk factors for early death, ill health and disability. The report highlights that in 2020 the average adult diet in Scotland was 40% above the recommended daily energy intake, with high levels of consumption of ultra-processed foods high in fat, salt and sugar, and too low in fruit and vegetables, fibre, and other key nutrients. This poor diet is leading to a growing burden of ill health in society, with high levels of overweight and obesity, and worsening health inequalities. Two-thirds of adults and 30% of children have overweight and obesity, and this is clearly patterned by deprivation, with the most deprived much more likely to be overweight or have obesity than their least deprived counterparts. The report also highlights that food insecurity in Scotland is rising, with 8% of households reporting experiencing food insecurity, with younger people and single parents most likely to be affected.  

Food environments drive consumption, impacting on what, where, when and how much is eaten. These environments are becoming increasingly unhealthy. Evidence in the report shows that 16% of households in the UK live in food deserts, where the choice of food outlets and products is severely limited, and are categorised by a clustering of fast food takeaways and convenience stores. Local food environments are vital for shaping local food cultures, influence health and wellbeing, and play a major role in tackling obesity. To transform local food environments into healthy spaces which promote and facilitate access to healthy food and lifestyles, there needs to be more market and regulatory intervention.

The report’s vision for the future focuses on the need for framework legislation, bringing together all the pieces of the jigsaw to transform Scotland’s food system. For healthy diets, this is about recognising that food is the foundation of physical and mental health, and enabling food environments that make healthy food available for all in a dignified way. All of the interconnected pieces of the jigsaw must come together to achieve the transformative change required in the food system.

The Coalition have been advocating for this change to happen, with the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Bill presenting a key legislative opportunity to drive forward this change. Our key asks as a Coalition for what the Good Food Nation Bill must deliver are:

• A clear, explicit national and local commitment to transforming how we think about food, with strong public leadership agreeing on a common purpose for the food system in Scotland, and an explicit commitment to the right to food for all.
• A clear, measurable and common direction of travel for national and local governments, and all relevant public bodies towards a set of agreed public health, environmental, social and economic outcomes, aligned with the National Performance Framework and UN Sustainable Development Goals.
• A strong commitment to cross-portfolio partnerships, and mandatory impact assessments for all new and existing legislation, policy and action plans to test their impact on the Good Food Nation Bill.
• Scrutiny and monitoring of progress of national and local food plans to be carried out independently through the creation and resourcing of an independent Food Commission.
• Provision of adequate resources for all impacted national, local and public bodies, including the proposed independent Food Commission.

The Good Food Nation (Scotland) Bill must create a dynamic, strong, workable and affordable legislative framework which delivers a healthier, fairer and more sustainable food system for Scotland. As Scottish Food Coalition members, we have been advocating for these key asks and believe they are required to transform our food system into one which prioritises health and wellbeing, and delivers fair and easy access to healthy and sustainable food for all.

Lorraine Tulloch, Programme Lead noted:

“If we truly want to call ourselves a Good Food Nation we must tackle the poor diet that has been ingrained in Scotland for over 20 years. Creating a food system that can improve our diet and our food environments whilst also tackling the other challenges of the food system such as climate impact, waste and animal welfare requires transformative change. The Good Food Nation Bill is a key opportunity to achieve this and we hope this report will help inform the change needed.”

Read our response to the Scottish Parliament Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee's call for views on the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Bill here. 

The Good Food Nation (Scotland) Bill is currently making its way through the Scottish Parliament. Find out more here.