Scottish £250k funding aimed at improving food culture

The funding – part of the Scottish government’s Good Food Nation scheme – was shared among local charities, councils, schools and parish churches. The 14 projects included cooking courses, farm visits and food learning programmes.

The Scottish government said the funding was a good opportunity to address some of the food culture problems in Scotland. It said good quality food from manufacturers could help to reverse the trends around diet.

Chair of the Scottish government’s food commission Shirley Spears said: “It is pleasing to see so many local projects get the opportunity to develop.

‘A more sustainable and healthier future’

“I am sure this funding will be a powerful way to reach out to the public more about the importance of good quality food and work towards building a more sustainable and healthier future, helping to grow the Good Food nation conversation across Scotland.”

Rural economy secretary Fergus Ewing said at the Scottish Grocers’ Federation Conference, on Friday: “Scotland’s food and drink industry has an international reputation which is based on the quality of our produce. Through Good Food Nation, we are attempting to create a movement across civic Scotland that recognises how access to good quality, healthy food can support our wider efforts to reverse the trends around diet, obesity and health-related problems and reduce food waste.”

‘Reverse the trends around diet’

The funding announcement came after Food Standards Scotland (FSS) revealed on Friday that only two out of 11 healthy eating principles were consistently followed in Scotland.

FSS’s results, from the Food in Scotland Consumer Tracking Survey, showed that 41% of Scots drank at least one sugary drink a day, and less than a third adhered to the recommended six cups of water a day.

FSS head of nutrition, science and policy Heather Peace said: “This tracker survey helps explain why we are so far from meeting our dietary goals in Scotland, as most people say that they don’t follow healthy eating advice.

“What is clear is that there isn’t a quick fix to the diet-related problems in Scotland, and that responsibility does not fall on the individual to make the right choices, it falls on government and industry too to make sure that we all act together to tackle obesity and poor diet in Scotland.”