Minister throws down challenge on National Food Policy

25 February 2008

Food and Health Alliance members have a key role to play in determining the final shape of Scotland's National Food Policy, chair Caroline Comerford told the second FHA conference.

Ms Comerford, NHS Grampians nutrition co-ordinator, was speaking after public health minister Shona Robison had urged everyone to get involved in the consultation process, which continues until the end of April.

"Today is your chance to get involved and also an opportunity to take a step back and consider how the provision of healthier eating is affected by the other strategic objectives," she told her audience. "Every single person has a stake in the future of our food and drink industry."

FHA members would have a vital role in delivering these policies, she said. "What will that role be? What difference can you make in moving forward on food and health and how can you influence others to do likewise? What are the practical solutions?"

Ms Comerford urged members to respond positively to the minister's challenge. The new policy would involve greater integration and working across boundaries. "That might be challenging and it might be difficult," she said. "But it's also a really big opportunity and I think we're ready to face that opportunity."

Earlier Gillian Barclay, from the Scottish Governments Food Industry Unit, stressed the new policy would set a direction of travel rather than having 125 objectives and targets. She also predicted it would be a long road with a lot of twists and turns".

Food had to be seen as much more than fuel. "We need to take account of where it comes from, how its produced, what its impact is on the environment and what its impact is on health."

What was important was bringing together all the strands in a coherent whole. There had been many initiatives on food in recent years but no single policy that linked them up. "We need some coherent way of bringing all these strands together in a clearer vision.

The vision spelled out in the consultation document was to make the nation healthier, wealthier and smarter with production making communities stronger and consumption respecting the local and global environment.

All this was underpinned by the need for sustainable economic growth. She accepted there was a tension between this and the need for healthier, more accessible food. "How do we have economic growth but still have affordable food for the general population?".

One in five manufacturing jobs in Scotland were in the food and drink sector while food processing accounted for more than a quarter of manufacturing exports. "Obviously the government wants that growth trend to continue."

But she suggested that a robust and coherent food policy could have a big impact on many of the government's key objectives, including making the country safer and stronger, greener and smarter.

At the same time the public had to be educated to be more knowledgeable and questioning about the food it bought. "We need an industry that responds to consumers that ask for healthier food," she said. "And we need to be ensuring consumers are asking the questions."

This might involve more people asking producers about animal welfare and the impact of food production on the environment. It could also mean that food labelling be extended from listing the ingredients to indicating where and how it was produced.

Ms Barclay admitted the government had much less power to impose the same standards on food imports. "There are some discussions about how we can look at meat in terms of animal welfare. But there is very little that government can do to control whats imported because we're part of an economic union."

The best hope, she suggested, was to influence consumer attitudes towards food, which would in turn change the demand for what was being imported.

Consultation timetable

Choosing the Right Ingredients: the Future for Food in Scotland was launched in January and forms the basis for a consultation that continues until the end of April.

The cabinet will take some time to reflect on the responses with a further statement expected from the secretary for rural affairs and environment at the Royal Highland Show in June.

You can submit your views via the Scottish Government website, email or phone 0131 244 6223.

You can also take part in the discussion through the online food blog or write to The Food Discussion at:

Room 256
Pentland House
47 Robb's Lane
Edinburgh
EH14 1TY

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