Good Food Nation Plan development – understanding local authority and health board processes: report

2. Methodology

2.1 Research design

A sequential mixed-methods approach was used: informal scoping conversations informed a structured survey, which ran concurrently with semi-structured interviews to explore survey findings in depth and capture organisational process detail. This approach enabled the research to capture both breadth and depth while minimising participant burden.

2.2 Survey

An online survey was distributed to all 32 local authorities and 14 territorial NHS Health Boards to gather information on familiarity with the Act, anticipated plan development processes, governance arrangements, resource and capacity considerations, challenges, and support needs.

The survey received 17 responses: 10 from local authorities (59%) and 7 from health boards (41%). The survey was sent out in January 2026 and remained open for 2 weeks. Table 1 provides a summary of the most common responses to selected indicators in the survey. A copy of the survey can be found in Appendix 1.

A summary of key results from the survey is available at Appendix 2.

2.3 Semi-structured interviews

Informal scoping conversations with the Living Good Food Nation Lab, four local authorities and three NHS Health Boards were used to identify key issues and shape subsequent data collection by informing the interview schedule design. These took place in December 2025.

Semi-structured group interviews were conducted remotely using Microsoft Teams. Separate sessions were held for territorial NHS Health Boards and local authority Good Food Nation (GFN) leads. Interviews lasted up to 60 minutes and explored themes emerging from the survey in greater depth. A copy of the interview schedule can be found in Appendix 3. The interviews were conducted in late January 2026 with a mixture of single-organisation and group sessions, covering a range of geographies and organisational contexts.

In total, 10 formal interview sessions were completed, covering 20 organisations (18 local authorities and 2 territorial NHS health boards). Sessions included a mixture of single organisation and group interviews, as seen in Table 2. Interview findings are presented in anonymised form and are used to add detail on processes, constraints, and support needs beyond what can be captured in a short survey.

Organisations that took part in the informal scoping conversations held before the survey was issued were not included in the interviews in order to minimise participant burden. This was because most of the questions posed in the scoping interviews formed the basis of the survey and interviews. The informal scoping conversations were conducted with 3 Health Boards and 4 Local Authorities.

Table 3 below shows how the organisations engaged with various stages of the research. 14 organisations did not engage.

2.4 Sampling and recruitment

Participants were recruited via survey follow-up, and an invitation was also sent to all local authority GFN leads. Participation was voluntary and not all organisations took part in both stages of the research.

2.5 Data analysis

Survey data were analysed descriptively, while interview data were analysed thematically. All findings are reported in anonymised and aggregated form.

2.6 Ethical considerations

The research was conducted in line with Scottish Government social research ethics guidance. Participants were provided with a Participant Information Sheet and Privacy Notice, and informed consent was obtained prior to interview participation. NHS Health Boards’ Research & Development teams were contacted and informed about the research in advance of the fieldwork starting, and further information was provided to them where requested.