Proposed National Good Food Nation Plan
The proposed national Good Food Nation Plan has been laid before the Scottish Parliament. It sets out over-arching Outcomes; the range of targets and indicators used to gauge progress towards achieving them; and details of food-related policies and initiatives from across the Scottish Government.
Annex A
Legislative Requirements
1. Content
Section 1(3) of the Act contains specific requirements about what this plan must include:
(a) the main outcomes in relation to food-related issues which the Scottish Ministers want to be achieved in relation to Scotland
The Outcomes are outlined in Part Two of this Plan.
(b) indicators or other measures by which progress in achieving the outcomes may be assessed
Indicators and other measures (targets) are outlined in Part Three of this Plan.
(c) the policies which the Scottish Ministers intend to pursue in order to secure the achievement of the outcomes.
Policies are outlined in Part Four of this Plan.
2. Requirement to be informed by the views of the food business sector
Section 1(4) of the Act sets out a requirement that:
The national good food nation plan must also set out the Scottish Ministers’ plans for ensuring that the implementation of the policies mentioned in subsection (3)(c) is informed by the views of the food business sector.
On page 73 we set out how this has been done.
3. Requirement to have regard to the scope for food-related issues to affect outcomes in relation to specific subject areas
Section 1(6) of the Act provides:
In determining the content of the national good food nation plan so far as required by subsection (3), the Scottish Ministers must have regard to the scope for food-related issues to affect outcomes in relation to, among other things—
(a) social and economic wellbeing,
(b) the environment, in particular in relation to—
(i) climate change, and
(ii) wildlife and the natural environment,
(c) health and physical and mental wellbeing (including in particular through the provision of health and social care services),
(d) economic development,
(e) animal welfare,
(f) education, and
(g) child poverty.
4. Principles
Section 2 of the Act outlines a set of principles that the Scottish Ministers must have regard to in the preparation of the plan. These are reflected in our Outcomes in part Two of the Plan and the policies that have been outlined in Part Four of the Plan.
Section 2 - In preparing the national good food nation plan, the Scottish Ministers must have regard to—
(a) the fact that each part of the food system and supply chain plays an important role in the provision of food,
(b) the role of a sustainable food system and supply chain in contributing to mitigation of climate change, halting and reversing of loss of biodiversity and improvement in animal welfare,
(c) the ability of high-quality, nutritious and culturally appropriate food to improve the health and physical and mental wellbeing of people,
(d) the fact that adequate food is a human right (as part of the right to an adequate standard of living set out in Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights) and essential to the realisation of other human rights,
(e) the importance of the food business sector—
(i) continuing to be a thriving part of the Scottish economy,
(ii) having resilient supply chains,
(iii) operating with fair work standards, and
(iv) in contributing to resilient local economies across Scotland.
5. International Instruments
The Act specifies a set of international instruments the Scottish Ministers must have regard to in the preparation of the plan. Part Two of this Plan highlights how the Outcomes reflect and relate to relevant international instruments.
Section 5 Preparation of plan: consideration of international instruments
(1) In preparing the national good food nation plan, the Scottish Ministers must have regard to the international instruments listed in subsection (2).
(2) Those instruments are—
(a) Article 11 (so far as it concerns adequate food) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,
(b) Article 24(2)(c) (so far as it concerns the provision of adequate nutritious foods) of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child,
(c) Articles 27(1) and (3) (so far as they concern nutrition) of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child,
(d) Article 12(2) (so far as it as concerns adequate nutrition during pregnancy and lactation) of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
6. Have regard – how this was embedded in the development of the Plan
As set out above the Act sets out the need to have regard to the matters, principles and international instruments in sections 1(6), 2 and 5. Regard was had to these throughout the process of drafting the Plan by a range of means including:
- Embedding the concepts set out in these sections of the Act from the outset. This was done by using the matters and principles as the basis for drafting the Outcomes and cross checking that the specified provisions within the international instruments were reflected across the Outcomes.
- Ensuring that the need to have regard to these sections was clear to policy colleagues, ministers and stakeholders throughout the process of drafting the Plan e.g. in any updates given to these groups these requirements and how they linked to the Outcomes were clearly set out.
- Setting out these ‘have regard’ requirements in the consultation document which described how the Outcomes were drafted with regard to these provisions in the Act and used as the basis for considering the food system as a whole.
- Framing the discussion around the Plan in the workshops that were part of the public consultation by making clear the need to have regard to these provisions.
- Undertaking a process of cross checking at key points in the drafting process to ensure these concepts were captured in the text e.g. for the consultation document, when updating the text on the basis of comments received from the public consultation and when finalising the document for ministerial approval.
It is evident that the matters, principles and international instruments which the Scottish Ministers must have regard to, have clearly influenced, and been incorporated within the wording of the Outcomes. Even where the exact terminology in the provisions has not been used, the spirit of and concepts within the provisions have been suitably captured e.g., the wording “culturally appropriate” (section 2(c) of the Act) is not explicitly used but this concept has been captured by the inclusion of the words “everyone” and “reliable and dignified access” in Outcome 1. Information contained within the Plan indicates how these provisions link to the Outcomes to make clear regard has been had and the concepts are embedded within the text of the Plan. Table 1 (page 12) sets out which of the international instruments, provided for by section 5 of the Act, are linked to each Outcome. Table 2 (next page) demonstrates which of the matters and principles, that the Scottish Ministers are required to have regard to by virtue of sections 1(6) and 2 of the Act, are reflected in and linked to each one of the Outcomes.
The indicators (or other measures) to measure progress and the policies that will be pursued in order to secure the achievement of the outcomes are intrinsically linked to the six Outcomes set out in the Plan, so the matters, principles and international instruments are also reflected in those parts of the Plan.
Table 2 below illustrates how the specified matters and principles have been taken into account in the development of the six Good Food Nation Outcomes (converted to text).
Outcome 1: The food environment in Scotland enables people to eat well. Everyone benefits from reliable and dignified access to safe, nutritious, affordable, enjoyable, sustainable and age-appropriate food.
Link to section 1(6) of the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022*:
- Section 1(6)(a) social and economic wellbeing
- Section 1(6)(c) health and physical and mental wellbeing (including in particular through the provision of health and social care services)
- Section 1(6)(g) child poverty
Link to section 2 of the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022**:
- Section 2(a) the fact that each part of the food system and supply chain plays an important role in the provision of food
- Section 2(c) the ability of high-quality, nutritious and culturally appropriate food to improve the health and physical and mental wellbeing of people
- Section 2(d) the fact that adequate food is a human right (as part of the right to an adequate standard of living set out in Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights) and essential to the realisation of other human rights
Outcome 2: Scotland’s food system is sustainable and contributes to a flourishing natural environment on our land and in our waters. It supports our net zero and climate adaptation ambitions and plays an important role in maintaining and improving animal health and welfare, and in restoring and regenerating biodiversity.
Link to section 1(6) of the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022*:
- Section 1(6)(b) the environment, including in particular in relation to:
(i) climate change, and
(ii) wildlife and the natural environment
- Section 1(6)(e) animal welfare
Link to section 2 of the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022**:
- Section 2(a) the fact that each part of the food system and supply chain plays an important role in the provision of food
- Section 2(b) the role of a sustainable food system and supply chain in contributing to mitigation of climate change, halting and reversing of loss of biodiversity and improvement in animal welfare
Outcome 3: Scotland’s food environment and wider food system enables and promotes a physically and mentally healthy population. This leads to the prevention of, and a reduction in, diet-related conditions.
Link to section 1(6) of the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022*:
- Section 1(6)(c) health and physical and mental wellbeing (including in particular through the provision of health and social care services)
Link to section 2 of the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022**:
- Section 2(c) the ability of high- quality, nutritious and culturally appropriate food to improve the health and physical and mental wellbeing of people
- Section 2(d) the fact that adequate food is a human right (as part of the right to an adequate standard of living set out in Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights) and essential to the realisation of other human rights
Outcome 4: Our food and drink sector is prosperous, diverse, innovative, and vital to national and local economic and social wellbeing. It is key to making Scotland food secure and food resilient, and creates and sustains jobs and businesses underpinned by fair work standards throughout food supply chains.
Link to section 1(6) of the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022*:
- Section 1(6)(a) social and economic wellbeing
- Section 1(6)(d) economic development
Link to section 2 of the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022**:
- Section 2(a) the fact that each part of the food system and supply chain plays an important role in the provision of food
- Section 2(e) the importance of the food business sector—
i. continuing to be a thriving part of the Scottish economy,
ii. having resilient supply chains,
iii. operating with fair work standards, and
iv. in contributing to resilient local economies across Scotland.
Outcome 5: People and communities are empowered to participate in, and shape, their food system. Scotland has a thriving food culture with a population who are educated about good and sustainable food.
Link to section 1(6) of the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022*
- Section 1(6)(b) the environment, including in particular in relation to—
(i) climate change, and
(ii) wildlife and the natural environment
- Section 1(6)(f) education
Link to section 2 of the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022**
- Section 2(a) the fact that each part of the food system and supply chain plays an important role in the provision of food
- Section 2(b) the role of a sustainable food system and supply chain in contributing to mitigation of climate change, halting and reversing of loss of biodiversity and improvement in animal welfare
- Section 2(c) the ability of high- quality, nutritious and culturally appropriate food to improve the health and physical and mental wellbeing of people
Outcome 6: Decisions we make in Scotland contribute positively to local and global food systems transformation. Scotland actively engages in learning and exchanging knowledge and best practice internationally.
Link to section 1(6) of the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022*
- Section 1(6)(a) social and economic wellbeing
- Section 1(6)(d) economic development
Link to section 2 of the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022**
- Section 2(a) the fact that each part of the food system and supply chain plays an important role in the provision of food
*“In determining the content of the Plan [...] the Scottish Ministers must have regard to the scope for food-related issues to affect outcomes in relation to specified subject matters listed in section 1(6) of the Act”
**“In preparing the Plan the Scottish Ministers must have regard to the principles specified in section 2 of the Act”
Contact
Email: goodfoodnation@gov.scot