Food for Life programme information: FOI release

Information requested

Records specifically regarding the Food for Life programme delivered by the Soil Association, including:

1. Updated figures on Scottish Government funding for the Food for Life program delivered by the Soil Association for each financial year from 2024/2025 onwards.

2. Emails exchanged between the Scottish Government and the Soil Association relating to the Food for Life programme from 1st January 2022 down to the present - including any reports or other documents which have been attached to these emails.

3. Any reports which have been prepared by or on behalf of the Scottish Government, assessing the work of the Soil Association in delivering the Food for Life programme - including the annual independent assessments of Food for Life Served Here.

Response

Most of the information you requested will be released to you.

However, while our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because an exemption(s) under section(s) s.17(1) (does not hold that information) and s.38(1) (b) (personal information) of FOISA applies to that information. 

Response to your request

You will find a response below to point 1 of your request: Updated figures on Scottish Government funding for the Food for Life program delivered by the Soil Association for each financial year from 2024/2025 onwards.

Since 2024/25, Scottish Government funding has been made available to the Soil Association totalling £1,435,000 for delivery of their Food for Life Scotland programme. A breakdown of funding has been provided below for the requested financial years detailing spend made available and exact spend at the end of each financial year:

Soil Association – Food for Life Scotland Scottish Government Funding
Financial Year	Scottish Government Maximum Funding Available	Exact Funding claimed at the end of Financial Year
2024/25	£490,000	£490,000
2025/26	£495,000	£438,839.65
2026/27	£450,000	Information not available until 2027
Total	£1,435,000	£928,839.65

You will find a response below to point 2 of your request: Emails exchanged between the Scottish Government and the Soil Association relating to the Food for Life programme from 1st January 2022 down to the present - including any reports or other documents which have been attached to these emails.

Due to the size of the files we are unable to upload the documents referred to above.

If you wish to consider, please contact us at the address below and we will be happy to provide.

An exemption under section 38(1)(b) – the personal data of a third party of FOISA applies to some of the information you have requested therefore appropriate redaction of personal information has been applied.

This exemption is not subject to the ‘public interest test’, so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption.

You will find a response below to point 3 of your request: Any reports which have been prepared by or on behalf of the Scottish government, assessing the work of the Soil Association in delivering the Food for Life programme - including the annual independent assessments of Food for Life Served Here.

Due to the size of the files we are unable to upload the documents referred to above.

If you wish to consider, please contact us at the address below and we will be happy to provide.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.