Local Food for Everyone: Our Journey

Section 6 - Scottish Government Overarching Policy and Principles

Scotland - a Good Food Nation

The Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022 requires Scottish Ministers to produce a Good Food Nation (GFN) Plan. The Plan will set out the main outcomes, as well as outlining the measures used to assess progress against these, to be achieved in relation to food-related issues and the policies that contribute to them.

Our forthcoming national GFN Plan will provide a clear direction for our future food strategy that will benefit the wellbeing and health of the people of Scotland. It will be wide-ranging and cross-cutting and Local Food for Everyone will help contribute to, and deliver, many of its aims. This work will be ongoing and, following the consultation process on the national Plan, it will be assessed to ensure alignment with the statutory aims of the GFN and with the final agreed main outcomes.

Relevant authorities, currently defined in the Act as local authorities and health boards, will also be required to produce their own GFN Plans - these will help to shape food policy at a local level. These Plans have the potential to bring together different food system activities and policies that are pursued at a local level. We expect that the first Plans will be published by relevant authorities in 2026.

Scottish Ministers and relevant authorities must also have regard to a wide range of food-related issues when preparing the Plans, that contribute to: our nation’s social and economic wellbeing, the environment, people’s health, and physical and mental wellbeing, economic development, animal welfare, education and child poverty.

The GFN Plans will set in motion a genuine transformation in our food system, with local food, and our attitudes towards it, playing an important role in that transformation.

Research and evidence approach

We will continue to work in collaboration across sectors and with academia to develop our policy in relation to local food, and learn from best practice. The Scottish Government is committed to supporting research that is relevant, respected and responsive to Scotland’s environment, communities, its people and to the rural economy. Principal amongst this is the Strategic Research Programme 2022-27, a £175 million programme of strategic research delivered over five years, providing science and evidence to support policymakers and partners across a broad range of topics, including the multiple facets of local food.

Place Principle

The Scottish Government Place Principle is one where people, location and resources combine to create a sense of identity and purpose, and is at the heart of addressing the needs and realising the full potential of communities. It recognises that different locations have distinct needs and we must take into account the physical, social and economic elements of places. This includes our islands and rural communities, as well as in urban and suburban centres. Attractive and flourishing places where people can come together are vibrant, social, creative, interesting and resilient. Strengthening the retail experience can therefore enrich communities while delivering economic benefits.

It is also important that we encourage new businesses, who wish to be key economic agents in localities by reducing barriers to securing their first physical outlet, with pop-up or demonstrator stores being an excellent way of engaging with local places and communities. Through developing a place-based approach, local people and businesses have a genuine stake in producing, owning and enjoying the wealth they create and, in doing so, move us closer to the more just, equitable and sustainable society we want to see in all of Scotland.

Communities the length and breadth of Scotland have established thriving local food initiatives, and food businesses have been launched and grown, providing quality produce direct to consumers or to other businesses.