The Public Diners campaign has been pushing for the return of UK state-supported infrastructure for food. The idea of food as a public service is not new, but follows similar infrastructure already existing in many places around the world: hawker centres in Singapore, milk bars in Poland,
Read more →
On 15th July the UK Government published a policy paper, A UK government food strategy for England, considering the wider UK food system, outlining its high-level vision for the UK’s food system a ‘healthier, more affordable, sustainable and resilient 21st century UK food system that grows the
Read more →
On the eve of summer recess we have received the news of Good Food Nation progress. The government released “The Proposed National Good Food Nation Plan” for parliamentary scrutiny. In terms of the broad direction of travel, here is a lot to celebrate. Those following the Good
Read more →
Fish+ (animals, plants and algae from aquatic environments) are often overlooked in food policy discussions in the UK. In Scotland, the Good Food Nation Act, which seeks to build better food systems for people and planet, gives us an important opportunity to ensure fish+ is part of
Read more →
Public diners are a place to grab a meal after a 10-hour shift. A place to eat when you’ve run out of ideas for what to cook tonight. A place to go for a meal between classes. They’re guilt-free. The price doesn’t make you think twice. They’re
Read more →
What is the point of Nourish? Ten years banging on about food and then what happened in the Programme for Government? Nothing. A space where something should have been. Programme for Government sets out the Scottish Government’s priorities for the year ahead. Nutrition isn’t one of them.
Read more →
Last year we were reflecting on the rare moment of policy confluence for farming and land use, with the land reform, farm subsidy reform and Just Transition Commission’s work jointly presenting an opportunity for deeper change. But agriculture and land use are only part of the food
Read more →
Try mentioning the “agricultural subsidy reform”, and see the light drain from other people’s eyes. Apart from a handful of die-hard enthusiasts, the new Agriculture Bill is failing to ignite the nation’s imagination. But it should! The government is designing a new farming subsidy system – the
Read more →
Today’s Programme for Government (PfG) offers welcome measures to mitigate the impact of the cost of living crisis on food insecurity. It also promises further action for more nature friendly farming, forestry and fishing. Food is scattered in other portfolios too, and it is clear that the
Read more →
Joined-up policy, like a common language, often feels more like a dream than an aspiration. Kant said ‘Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made’, and it may be that silos are as inevitable as death and taxes. But there are times
Read more →