Ensuring everyone in Scotland can access nutritious, sustainable food is at the heart of new plans to transform the country’s food system.
The Good Food Nation Plan sets out the ways in which the Scottish Government will work with businesses and organisations across society to help connect people to locally produced, high-quality food.
The food and drink industry is a major contributor to Scotland’s economy: over 17,000 businesses employ 129,000 people, many in economically fragile rural and island communities. The sector generates turnover of around £15 billion per annum, and exports of Scottish food and drink were valued at £8.1 billion in 2022.
The Plan will cover everything from farm to fork and beyond, and draw together a range of different policies. It will also require key public bodies, particularly local authorities and health boards, to set out their plans.
The consultation on the national Good Food Nation Plan has today been published on the Scottish Government website and on Citizen Space, and will be open for responses until Monday 22 April 2024. The Plan builds upon the framework of the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022, which enshrines into law the Scottish Government’s commitment to Scotland becoming a Good Food Nation.
I’m Graeme’s Parliamentary Assistant based at Holyrood, but I support his constituency work as well. Having been Caseworker to an Aberdeenshire MP some years prior, joining Graeme's team in 2019 was a return to this line of work from a role in fundraising.