National Good Food Nation Plan: consultation - easy read

Introduction

The Scottish Government has a vision for Scotland as a place where all people are happy about the food they make, buy, cook, serve, and eat each day.

To make this happen, the law says that the Scottish Government has to make a Good Food Nation Plan. This sets out the Government’s goals for food and how we will reach them.

The law also says that the Scottish Government, local government and the NHS have to make Good Food Nation Plans. This is the Scottish Government’s Good Food Nation Plan – the others will be made in the future.

Scottish Ministers will have to think about the Good Food Nation Plan when they are doing certain things. These things are set out in law, and are called specified functions.

A ‘food system’ is what we call all the people and things involved in making, processing, selling, buying and eating food. It also includes everything about the food we eat like its effects on health and the economy.

There are lots of good things about our food system. Scottish food and drink makes around £15 billion per year. Scotland produces lots of high-quality food and drink that people all over the world enjoy.

In a Good Food Nation people will be able to make healthier choices about what they eat. They will have a food system that does not have a bad impact on the environment.

There are problems with the food system now. There are many ways we can improve things. The Scottish Government would be able to do more if we were an independent country.

Many households in Scotland cannot afford to buy healthy food. Poorer communities are more likely to have bad health because of this. Our Good Food Nation goals must improve this.

We will only be a Good Food Nation if there is less inequality. We need to think about this when making our plans.

The first national Good Food Nation Plan is an important step on a long path to changing our food system for the better.