Diet and healthy weight: out of home action plan

General

Public Health Scotland (PHS) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) will develop a new Eating Out, Eating Well Framework, engaging with stakeholders, including industry and local authorities. This voluntary framework for Out of Home (OoH) food outlets will:

• help outlets provide healthier foods to support achievement of Scottish Dietary Goals
• include, among other things, calorie labelling and a Code of Practice for Children’s Menus (COP) (see Children's menus below)

Scottish Government will explore:

• raising awareness and take-up of the Framework and COP
• support to businesses and organisations to adopt of the Framework or COP given the need to address diet-related health inequalities, will include how to also focus support on outlets in areas of higher deprivation
• how best to secure maximum take-up across the public sector
• how best to recognise food outlets that adopt the Framework or COP
• the extent to which the Framework can support the delivery of Scottish Government’s Good Food Nation ambition and vision and wider food policies, including by incorporating good practice on matters such as food waste, local sourcing and climate change

Legislation to bring forward mandatory calorie labelling

FSS will work with stakeholders to develop detailed proposals for mandatory calorie labelling at the “point of choice”, including menus and online for OoH food outlets in Scotland.

Scottish Government will consult on detailed proposals for mandatory calorie labelling of food and soft drink sold by OoH food outlets.

Voluntary standard for full nutrition information

FSS will review work to date and engage with industry partners to recommend a standardised format for out of home businesses who provide full nutrition information online and/or on printed materials. 

Calorie reduction

As set out below, FSS will lead the overall monitoring and evaluation of the impact of the suite of the measures in this plan. Longer term, this will include calorie reduction as the key indicator of success.

Children’s menus

FSS and PHS, will develop a Code of Practice for Children’s Menus. This will form part of wider Framework for Eating Out, Eating Well (see 1 above). It will also be implemented and supported as a stand-alone measure, if that is what outlets want to pursue.

Improving food in communities

• ministers will take into account FSS’s recommendation as part of the preparation of National Planning Framework (ministers revise the National Planning Framework in Scotland to provide, inter alia, planning policies that address the impact of the OOH food environment on public health, including the ability to enforce access to healthier food and take account of the location and density of food outlets in local areas)
• Scottish Government will explore other potential levers, including fiscal measures, to support OoH outlets provide healthier foods

The public sector

As set out above:

• PHS and FSS will develop a new Eating Out, Eating Well Framework, engaging with stakeholders, including industry and local authorities
• Scottish Government will explore how best to secure maximum take-up across the public sector

Coherence across SG policy areas

The Ministerial Working Group on Food will aim to ensure a coherent policy approach is taken on all aspect of food policy, including in achieving the Scottish Dietary Goals.

Monitoring and evaluation

FSS will lead the overall monitoring and evaluation of the impact of the suite of the measures set out in this plan. Longer term, this will include calorie reduction as the key indicator of success. 

Future actions will be informed by the outcome of the monitoring and evaluation framework and the work to explore other levers set out above.