National Good Food Nation Plan

Part One: Setting the Scene for a Good Food Nation

The roots of a Good Food Nation Plan

The Scottish Government published a new food and drink policy in 2014 - Becoming a Good Food Nation. This set out a vision for Scotland to be “a Good Food Nation, where people from every walk of life take pride and pleasure in, and benefit from, the food they produce, buy, cook, serve, and eat each day”.

Scottish Ministers sought expert advice from a non-statutory Scottish Food Commission which was formed in February 2015. It was tasked with advising Scottish Ministers about how to realise the ambition of becoming a Good Food Nation. One of its key recommendations was the introduction of framework legislation to bring the great variety of food-related work already underway across government together under a single umbrella.

This framework legislation now exists in the form of the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022 (“the Act”). Under the Act, Scottish Ministers are required to produce a national Good Food Nation Plan which sets out the Government’s goals for food policy and how it intends to achieve them.^[1]

In the years since the Good Food Nation policy was launched we have made great strides towards achieving our vision, and there is much to be proud of regarding Scottish food. However, we must recognise that there are still deeply rooted flaws in the current food system.^{[2] [3]} A vision of a better system, of a Good Food Nation, is not by itself enough to address these. As well as a vision we need a blueprint for achieving it – a plan that outlines not just what a Good Food Nation will look like but also what we need to do to get there and how we will measure our progress along the way.

In this first national Good Food Nation Plan we have, for the first time in Scottish food policy, not just a vision for a Good Food Nation but a clear understanding of what that looks like in reality, and of the steps we must take to move towards it.

This first national Good Food Nation Plan represents a fresh approach to food policy and it embeds long-term strategic transformation into decision making at both the national and local levels.

It is important to acknowledge that making important and necessary long-term systemic changes to our food system and achieving ambitious food-related goals will take time. We cannot ignore the fact that, as things stand, the Scottish Government does not have full control of all of the levers that can be used to influence the direction of the food system. For example, employment law remains a reserved area, which limits the actions that we can take in Scotland to improve fair work standards in the food and drink industry.

The impact of Brexit has also been significant: as the UK now sits outwith the EU it is required to conduct its own trade negotiations. Scotland’s ability to influence its food system is thus further limited by the fact that we are not represented in our own right at these international-level discussions and negotiations.

We continue to press the UK Government to act in a way that acknowledges the interests of Scotland, and is supportive of our economy, people and the planet. However, their reluctance to engage meaningfully with the Scottish Government on trade policy has limited what we can do.

An independent Scotland would have full control over all of the levers in food policy, which would have a material effect on what we can achieve and how quickly. We are publishing a series of papers on the subject of Building A New Scotland : these papers form our prospectus for an independent Scotland and set out many issues linked to food. Future iterations of the national Good Food Nation Plan will of course be influenced by the constitutional situation at the time they are compiled.

Content of the Plan

At the heart of the national Good Food Nation Plan are the six overarching Good Food Nation Outcomes.^[4] These ambitious Outcomes are of long-term strategic importance to Scotland: as food policy continues to develop domestically and globally we will continue to evaluate and revise the Outcomes to ensure that they remain relevant and sufficiently stretching.

The Outcomes cannot be achieved overnight: we intend to make further progress towards realising them through each future iteration of the Good Food Nation Plan.^[5] In light of this fact, it is important that we find ways to measure that ongoing progress. Part Two of this document outlines not just the Outcomes themselves, but also the range of targets and indicators that will be used to gauge our progress towards achieving them.

Part Three of the Plan sets out details of a wide range of food-related policies and initiatives from across the Scottish Government: these are the means by which we will achieve the Outcomes. This section reflects ongoing and future work, linking each individual policy clearly to one or more of the six Outcomes.

As well as setting out our ambitions for a Good Food Nation and the policies we will use to achieve them, the Plan also has a key role to play in driving greater coherence in food-related policymaking across both national and local levels.

Part Three of the Plan therefore also considers how we can use internal government mechanisms to effect improvements in the policymaking processes.

The practical effect of the Plan: specified functions

This Plan is not solely a statement of vision and ambition: it will also act as a practical aid for future policymaking, encouraging a broader and more strategic approach to food policy. When carrying out a range of specified functions (set out in secondary legislation: see associated consultation on specified functions) related to food, Scottish Ministers must have regard to^[6] the national Good Food Nation Plan. In practice, this means that Scottish Ministers and their officials must consider how planned policies and activities on food-related issues contribute to the national Good Food Nation Outcomes.

As a result, Ministers will be obliged to consider any new food related policy not in isolation, but as a part of a larger and interconnected landscape. This requirement will ensure that future food policy works towards achieving shared ambitions.

Relevant authority Good Food Nation Plans

The Act requires relevant authorities (currently defined as local authorities and health boards) to produce their own Good Food Nation Plans. In the preparation of those Plans relevant authorities will also be required to have regard to the content of the national Good Food Nation Plan.

The national Outcomes; indicators; targets; and policy actions set out in this plan will therefore provide some direction and guidance for relevant authorities in the creation of their own Good Food Nation Plans. These links between governance levels will encourage a coherent approach to food policy. Relevant authorities are also legally required to have regard to their own Plans when carrying out specified functions.

This approach will bring a greater level of consistency to food policy, whilst still allowing relevant authorities the flexibility to respond to the unique pressures and circumstances they encounter on the ground. Such coherence of approach across national and local levels is fundamental to achieving our ambitions for Scotland’s food systems. This is an unprecedented opportunity to ensure a coordinated approach to food policy, and it will help to better identify and address the root causes of food system issues.

We have worked collaboratively with local authorities and health boards throughout the legislative process, and will continue to carry out engagement as relevant authorities begin to write their own Good Food Nation Plans.

Oversight and Reporting

The Act also provides for the establishment of a new public body: the Scottish Food Commission.^[7] This new Commission will review the progress and effectiveness of national and relevant authorities’ Good Food Nation Plans. It will advise, inform, and assist Scottish Ministers and relevant authorities in making future improvements to their Plans. The Commission will have a pivotal role to play in ensuring that the Outcomes and activities set out in the Good Food Nation Plans are both ambitious and effective in promoting the positive transformation of our food system.

Achieving a Good Food Nation is an iterative process and not an instant one: the Scottish Government will update both our ambitions for the Good Food Nation and our measures for assessing progress towards them by publishing refreshed and revised versions of the national Good Food Nation Plan at regular intervals. Every two years we will publish a progress report. At least every five years we will review and, as necessary, revise the Plan. The same cycle of reporting and revision requirements will also apply to relevant authority Good Food Nation Plans.