Consultation Responses on the Good Food Nation Bill
have just been published!
People power evident in response to Good Food Nation Consultation
Huge numbers of people have supported the call for change to Scotland’s food system by sharing their views with Scottish Government.
Earlier this year, the Scottish Government published a consultation on becoming a Good Food Nation. The consultation asked for people’s views on whether or not we should have a new law on food to help us transition to a fair, healthy and sustainable food system.
The Scottish Food Coalition has campaigned for this new law, dubbed the Good Food Nation Bill, and is delighted to see such strong support among the people of Scotland.
Key themes from the responses to the consultations were:
“Government and public bodies should involve lots of different groups and individuals in making the Good Food Nation plan reality because food should be the concern of everyone in society. Just as importantly, Ministers and public bodies should foster this collaboration in a way that makes it easy for people to understand the plan and to have their voices listened to.”
And one local authority commented that “An overarching framework set out in legislation would go substantially further than existing pieces of legislation and policy that focus on one part of the food system e.g. climate change, diet etc.”, showing clear support for a more joined-up approach to this important area.
A mighty 627 individuals in Scotland sent in their thoughts in detail, and another 470 people responded to the Scottish Food Coalition e-action. This shows just how many people are interested in important issues like changing the food system, and how important public participation is for truly democratic decision-making.
Click here to read the full analysis of the consultation responses here
Huge numbers of people have supported the call for change to Scotland’s food system by sharing their views with Scottish Government.
Earlier this year, the Scottish Government published a consultation on becoming a Good Food Nation. The consultation asked for people’s views on whether or not we should have a new law on food to help us transition to a fair, healthy and sustainable food system.
The Scottish Food Coalition has campaigned for this new law, dubbed the Good Food Nation Bill, and is delighted to see such strong support among the people of Scotland.
Key themes from the responses to the consultations were:
- That the law should include a commitment to the right to food for everyone in Scotland.
- That the Scottish Government should encourage businesses to play their part in becoming a Good Food Nation; a massive 93% of respondents agreed that businesses have a role to play!
- That we need to work together across all of society to make change happen
- That we need an independent statutory body to oversee the changes, and make sure that we’re all pulling in the same direction.
“Government and public bodies should involve lots of different groups and individuals in making the Good Food Nation plan reality because food should be the concern of everyone in society. Just as importantly, Ministers and public bodies should foster this collaboration in a way that makes it easy for people to understand the plan and to have their voices listened to.”
And one local authority commented that “An overarching framework set out in legislation would go substantially further than existing pieces of legislation and policy that focus on one part of the food system e.g. climate change, diet etc.”, showing clear support for a more joined-up approach to this important area.
A mighty 627 individuals in Scotland sent in their thoughts in detail, and another 470 people responded to the Scottish Food Coalition e-action. This shows just how many people are interested in important issues like changing the food system, and how important public participation is for truly democratic decision-making.
Click here to read the full analysis of the consultation responses here
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The Scottish Government Renews its Commitment to
the Good Food Nation Bill!
Today, the Scottish Government published its 2019-2020 Programme for Government, which clarified the intention to propose a Good Food Nation Bill this year. The Scottish Food Coalition (SFC) welcomes news of this commitment in light of the many challenges that the food system is facing.
However, we encourage Scottish Government and elected representatives to ensure this bill will join-up food policy, for example through an ambitious national food plan and the creation of a Food Commission to drive progress towards a healthier, fairer and more sustainable future.
Read more about our ambitions for the Good Food Nation bill below, we believe each of these are essential in our journey towards more coherent, effective, and just food policies:
- Incorporate the right to food in Scots Law: ensure that every person in Scotland has access to affordable, healthy and sustainable food.
- Establish a statutory food commission for Scotland: a commission would ensure that policies that touch on food are coherent and consistent with becoming a Good Food Nation, and would be able to commission research and issue recommendations.
- Publish a National Food Plan: a plan would outline cross-government approaches to food, outlining where our food system can be part of the solution to multiple challenges.
- Place duties on public bodies to lead the way in becoming a Good Food Nation through their policies and strategies, for example on procurement.
- Set national targets for the food system.
- All workers in the food sector paid at least the living wage and included in collective bargaining agreements by 2025 at the latest.
- Halving of moderate to severe household food insecurity by 2030
- Halving childhood obesity by 2030
- Halving the environmental impact of the food system, including halving food waste by 2030
The SFC and its members are looking forward to working with decision-makers and stakeholders on an ambitious bill that will bring about these much-needed changes for Scotland’s society and environment.
Read the full programme for government here.
Right to Food Petition
We believe that the Good Food Nation bill should be founded on the Right to Food- the core belief that we all have the right to nutritious and sustainable food that is produced within a system that is fair to people, animals and the environment. It is the government’s responsibility to progress towards this goal, which is why we have spearheaded the parliamentary petition to put the Right to Food in Scottish. Together, we managed to gather over 1300 signatures in a couple of weeks!
Let's all keep fighting for a food system that is fair, healthy and sustainable.
Let's all keep fighting for a food system that is fair, healthy and sustainable.
Letter to the First
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been urged to fast-track changes to Scotland’s food system that would include enshrining the right to food in Scots law.
More than 70 leading charities, academics and special interest groups have joined forces to submit a joint letter to the First Minister calling for the Good Food Nation Bill to be brought forward for a vote before the end of this Parliament in 2021. Click here to see the full letter. |
Response from the First
In her response, Nicola Sturgeon outlines different initiatives working towards a Good Food Nation agenda that the government is already partaking in. These initiatives include the reconsideration of marketing foods with little or no nutritional levels and the necessity of enshrining food within a human rights framework. Importantly, food insecurity, climate change, animal welfare and health are all issues being considered. Let's keep making our voice heard so we can take these initiatives further and make Scotland a Good Food Nation.
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