The Good Food Nation Act places duties on Scottish Ministers and certain public authorities to produce plans of their policies in relation to food and set out what they will do to make those plans real.
Scottish Government has asked that these plans are created and adopted by 2025 and that they will deliver outcomes which support: 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.
Members of Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Economy and Resources Committee will be asked to consider a report on the formulation of such policies at their meeting on 8th June 2023 which relates to the excellent work of the 4 principals and themes of the Dumfries and Galloway Sustainable Food partnership and its stakeholders. Members will also be asked to agree that a regional food plan is included as a strategic outcome for 2023/2024 as per our council plan.
Dumfries and Galloway Council will need to create and adopt the Regional Food Plan over the next 2 years. There is an opportunity to align the new Regional Food Plan with existing thematic areas and work streams established that they support, these are:
• Healthy Food for All Tackling food poverty, diet related ill-health and access to affordable healthy food.
• Good Food Movement Building public awareness, active food citizenship and a local good food movement.
• Sustainable Food Economy Creating a vibrant, prosperous and diverse sustainable food economy.
• Food Governance and Strategy Taking a strategic and collaborative approach to good food governance and action.
• Food for the Planet Tackling the climate and nature emergency through sustainable food and farming and an end to food waste.
• Catering and Procurement Transforming catering and procurement and revitalising local and sustainable food supply chains.
Chair of Economy and Resources Committee, Councillor Carruthers said: “Food and Drink is Dumfries and Galloway’s largest, fastest growing and most valuable economic sector and we are a region of high quality primary production and of food manufacturing and expertise. Good quality healthy food should be an every day reality for everyone. If that food is locally sourced, then that is better for all.”
Vice Chair, Councillor David Inglis said: “Obviously access to good quality food and drink is extremely important, not only for health, but also for the food and drink industry and therefore the economy. This is a tight turnaround to have policies in place for 2025, but there is a good result at the end people will take pride and pleasure from the food they produce, serve and consume.”
