The Scottish Food Coalition has been running a campaign to get people to talk about food over the last couple of months. Whether that’s at big old wooden kitchen tables, smooth and sleek office tables, tables at the allotment or in community centres or pubs or cafes or at no table at all, people across Scotland have been gathering to discuss food.

The Scottish Food Coalition have launched Kitchen Table Talks to get conversations about the food system happening in homes, community centres, schools, and workplaces all over Scotland.

This is an opportunity to discuss with your friends, neighbours, community or colleagues your top concerns about the food system, and your top priorities for action. You can then fill in a simple form and feed your ideas in to policy makers and help shape our campaign.

We know a lot of people care about food and we are really excited to hear about your ideas. You can find everything you need to host a Kitchen Table Talk here.

The deadline is 15th April, so get those conversations happening!

How can we put Scotland’s food into Scotland’s hands?
How can we take control of our food system?

These are the questions that brought food producers, health workers, campaigners, community groups, and others together on a winter day in November 2017.

We've had some great feedback from the gathering, which was the beginning of a more coordinated and political food movement in Scotland. Check out the event report here for all the info.

Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities, Angela Constance MSP has confirmed that she is considering putting the right to food into Scots law. ​

Turning the Tables is an exciting new programme by Nourish Scotland to build capacity across Scotland for the transformation of our food system. It’s aimed at people who would like to be trained up and supported to facilitate workshops and/or events in their own communities, organisations and networks about the food system and how to change it. 

​The training sessions will take place on the 18th & 19th of August and the 10th & 11th of November 2016 in Edinburgh. You can find more information here. Deadline for applications is the 20th of June.

With commitments from major parties it looks like new legislation for our food system is firmly set on the political agenda, whatever the outcome on May 5th.

SNP Manifesto: "We will bring forward a Good Food Nation Bill to draw together all aspects of the Scottish Government’s work on food and drink – including food standards, public procurement and food waste. We will implement our Good Food Nation policy drawing on the expertise on the Scottish Food Commission and civic society."
Scottish Greens Manifesto: A Food, Farming and Health Act. Scotland can address food insecurity while providing tasty, nutritious food in environmentally positive ways. Food currently spans a range of policy areas from health and land use to environment, making it difficult to coordinate action to reform food systems. We support Nourish Scotland’s call for an Act to provide a framework todeliver a range of food policies addressing health, environment and socialjustice concerns.
The Scottish Labour Manifesto is yet to be released, but Kezia Dugdale has clearly signalled that they too would bring forward a 'Food and Farming' Bill.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2016-scotland-36094735

At the Scottish Food Coalition we believe that for legislation to provide a framework for a real transformation of our food system, it must contain provisions for democratic governance, as well as progressive policies

​More here: http://www.nourishscotland.org/legislation-create-real-good-food-nation/

The Scottish Government has published a ‘suite’ of statutory guidance on public procurement under the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014.

Procurement can and should be used to extend the Living Wage, address fair work practices, help public bodies contribute to Scotland’s climate targets and promote ethical & fair trade and positive social outcomes. 

Although progress is being made, the changes could go further to ensure that public money is being used to promote a socially and environmentally just society.

For more information, please see the briefing from Unison Scotland

RSPB Scotland's prestigious Nature of Scotland Awards are now open for entries and nominations, this year with a new 'Food and Farming' category.

The Nature of Scotland Awards are designed to recognise and celebrate excellence, innovation and outstanding achievement in Scottish nature conservation. More information is available on the website.

The deadline for entries is 13th June.