At Nourish, along with the Scottish Food Coalition, we have been campaigning for a new food Bill that will provide a new framework for our food system. At the moment, agriculture, planning, social security, or public health policies and laws are mostly done in silos, but we can’t fix the interrelated issues that plague our food system without looking at the bigger picture and joining up the dots. We want the Good Food Nation Bill to enable a coherent and connected approach to food policy, which facilitates a just transition to a fair, healthy and sustainable food system.

You can listen to a short podcast about Nourish and the Good Food Nation Bill.

Our food system is leaving many people behind: from those experiencing food insecurity or working in the food industry with low wages and insecure working conditions, to those coping with diet-related ill health, and to the large numbers of food producers struggling to make a living. Food is also a major contributor to climate change and biodiversity loss, and is driving global soil quality loss and antibiotic resistance.

Legislation can change this, by setting the direction of travel towards a fair, healthy and sustainable food system. Establishing the core purpose of the food system in law, with a system of governance that ensures progress and accountability, can catalyse a transformation in how our food system works.

A whole system approach is needed, so that the Good Food Nation Bill can create a coherent framework for joined-up policies that ensure people’s fundamental human rights and the integrity of our planet are promoted today and into the future.