Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022
| Act of the Scottish Parliament | |
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| Long title | An Act of the Scottish Parliament to require the Scottish Ministers to prepare and publish a national good food nation plan; to require certain authorities to prepare and publish their own good food nation plans; and to provide as to the effect of all of those plans. |
|---|---|
| Introduced by | Mairi Gougeon, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 26 July 2022 |
Status: Current legislation | |
The Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022 (asp 5) is an act of the Scottish Parliament relating to the publication of "Good Food Nation Plans" and the promotion of healthy food.
History
The Scottish Government's 2016 programme for government committed to holding a consultation on a "Good Food Nation Bill".[1] The proposal included integrating policy relating to agriculture, environment, health, education, planning and licencing.[1]
Gary Maclean was appointed as National Chef by the Scottish government in order to make Scotland a "Good Food Nation".[2]
Provisions
The act requires the publication of a cross-cutting food plan, and requires the Scottish Government to publish reports on progress.[3]
The legislation states that the national Good Food Nation plan must lay out:[4]
- the main outcomes relating to food which the Scottish Government wants to achieve
- indicators to measure progress in achieving these outcomes
- policies which the Scottish Government intend to implement these measures
The National Good Food plan must also consider economic wellbeing, environment (including climate change and wildife), and mental and physical health.[4]
Implementation
The Scottish Government slightly delayed the publication of its first Good Food Nation plan, but published it in 2024.[5]
References
- ^ a b Freeman, Tom (27 June 2018). "Good Food Nation - will the government step up to the plate?". Holyrood Magazine. Archived from the original on 8 October 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
- ^ "MasterChef's Gary Maclean becomes Scotland's National Chef". BBC News. 30 November 2017. Archived from the original on 2 December 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
- ^ Ritchie, Pete; Marshall, Chelsea (15 August 2023), "Food as a right in addressing food insecurity: a case study from Scotland", Handbook of Food Security and Society, Edward Elgar Publishing, pp. 72–82, doi:10.4337/9781800378445.00017, ISBN 978-1-80037-844-5, retrieved 4 May 2025
- ^ a b Gill, Margaret; Fowler, Kieran; Scott, E Marian (1 September 2024). "Bridging the gap between science and food policy: nutrition as a driver of policy drawing on Scotland as a case study". Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. 83 (3): 204–209. doi:10.1017/S002966512400003X. ISSN 0029-6651.
- ^ Wilson, Louise (31 January 2024). "Delivering a Good Food Nation is 'real political challenge'". Holyrood. Archived from the original on 19 March 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2025.