Many thanks for writing to me regarding the Good Food Nation Bill and calls to use it to establish a Food Commission for Scotland.
Scottish Labour have supporte a Food Commission being introduced through this bill from the start as a step towards giving the government’s timid bill some much-needed substance. It is vital that Scotland has a standalone body with power to reach across the different strands that make up our food sector to ensure that, not only are the aims of the Good Food Nation bill being achieved, but also that other important and strategic goals are being met through the food system, for example meeting our climate targets and reducing food poverty, all free from political pressures.
Scottish Labour tabled multiple amendments ahead of the Stage 2 consideration of the Good Food Nation Bill which would have established an independent Food Commission, however the government did not support these. I am pleased that the government have now accepted the case for a Commission put to them by Labour and others, in particular the Scottish Food Coalition who have lobbied for the establishment of an independent food commission from the very start.
Scottish Labour will continue to fight to have the bill strengthened with the Right to Food included. At a time when people across Scotland are struggling to put food on the table we cannot ignore the urgent need to tackle Scotland’s scandalous rates of food poverty and the right to food would provide some much needed legal fallback to do so.
Once again, thank you for writing to me.