Why Scotland needs a sustainable food policy

Thoughts from the Sustainable Development Commission

Food production and consumption are woven through our economy, environment, and society, which are also the three pillars of sustainable development. There are huge opportunities from taking a joined-up approach and considering these issues simultaneously. The scale of the potential impacts is vast.

122,000 people in Scotland work in food and drink processing and the associated supply chain, generating £7.57bn in sales. A further £2bn comes from agriculture, aquaculture and fish catching.[i]

Food is the average household’s number one contribution to climate change, responsible for nearly a third (31%) of our greenhouse gas emissions [ii] - through an accumulation of emissions from primary production, transportation, processing, storage, consumption and waste.

The food we eat also has a major impact on the nation's health through the familiar litany - obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and allergies. That’s not all. According to Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer, poor diet has overtaken smoking in Scotland as an avoidable cause of cancer.

A cross-cutting food policy would therefore address some of the major issues currently facing Scotland – challenges such as obesity, food transportation and agricultural incomes. All are pieces of the same jigsaw. If we assemble them correctly, this will help to create a sustainable Scotland.

Choosing Our Future: Scotland’s Sustainable Development Strategy, rightly asserted that "safe, healthy food is vital to health and well-being". It also recognised the important contribution of the food and drink industry to communities (from primary producers through to retailers and the food service sector) by creating wealth and providing employment and access to a healthy, affordable diet. It encouraged the food industry and consumers to increase the take-up of locally produced food and respond to the growing consumer interest in healthy balanced diets by providing choices that help inform buying decisions.

We warmly welcome the Scottish Government's commitment to "a joined-up, national food policy that promotes that our economy, health, environment and culture".[iii]

Therefore what Scotland really needs is a sustainable National Food Policy to join up these areas.

In 2005 the Sustainable Development Commission defined sustainable food and drink thus:
• safe, healthy and nutritious food for consumers in shops, restaurants, schools, hospitals etc
• providing a viable livelihood for farmers, processors and retailers, whose employees enjoy a safe and hygienic working environment, whether in the UK or overseas
• respecting biophysical and environmental limits in its production and processing, while reducing energy consumption and improving the wider environment; it also respects the highest standards of animal health and welfare, compatible with the production of affordable food for all sectors of society
• supporting rural economies and the diversity of rural culture, in particular through an emphasis on local products that keep food miles to a minimum.
• meeting the needs of less well-off people[iv]

Were the new national food policy to use this definition, it would open the door for a holistic approach - considering everything from equity of access, to supporting rural communities.

Sourcing healthy, sustainable food and drink is a key responsibility of the public sector. There is no shortage of evidence to illustrate how this can be done effectively, bringing multiple benefits while respecting European Union procurement legislation.[v]

Local food is growing in popularity, but it’s poorly-defined and a great deal more complex than it seems[vi]. Local sourcing can have an important role - in sustaining rural communities, supporting the agricultural industry, encouraging environmental stewardship and supporting valued landscapes. But seasonality is also an important guide to sustainable production, to avoid supporting products that require excessive heat and power during growth or storage. Produce grown overseas in warmer climes can have lower impact, even factoring in transport emissions.

Full life-cycle assessment is needed, to identify the key elements of sustainability for individual products – in the form of a guide to sustainable sourcing. If the Scottish Government were to work with retailers and public procurers to reduce the climate impacts of Scotland’s fine meat and dairy products by leading a transition to a more localised supply chain,[vii] it would be a tremendous opportunity to show real leadership.

Infrastructure too must be reassessed - not only to ensure competitiveness, but also to reduce transport emissions and increase the freshness of food. Countless abattoirs have closed across the country, in the name of food safety and animal welfare. With animals travelling literally hundreds of miles to slaughter, there's limited evidence of either vaunted benefit.

Moving towards sustainable food consumption requires government, businesses and consumers to share responsibility for leading change. Consumers are leading the way already, as the example of increasing sales statistics for organic and fair-trade food clearly show. Many food producers are equally committed. The retailers must not shirk their role, not least in editing choices - shifting the field of availability for consumers, by cutting out the damaging products and getting sustainable choices on the shelves.[viii]

Few areas of public policy have greater impacts than food – which means that Scotland's food policy must address these economic, social and environmental dimensions in an integrated way. If the government builds its food policy around the principles of sustainable development, it will indeed have a national policy worthy of the name.

References

[i] Scottish Food and Drink website
[ii] Tukker A, et al. Environmental impact of products (EIPRO): Analysis of the life cycle environmental impacts related to the total final consumption of the EU25 (2005), European Science and Technology Observatory and Institute for Prospective Technological Studies, full draft report.
[iii] Cabinet Secretary Richard Lochhead speaking at the debate on food policy at the Scottish Parliament
[iv] Sustainability Implications of the Little Red Tractor Scheme, Sustainable Development Commission, January 2005 at p. v.
[v] See for example the evaluation of East Ayrshire Council’s school meals pilot: Evaluation of a Pilot Scheme to Encourage Local Suppliers to Supply Food to Schools, Scottish Executive, 2006
[vi]There is no single clear definition of ‘local food’, though within a 30 mile radius is the commonly accepted benchmark in the local food community (e.g. Sustain, The National Association of Farmers Markets).
[vii] I will if you will - Towards sustainable consumption, Sustainable Development Commission, May 2006 at p. 45.
[viii] I will if you will - Towards sustainable consumption, Sustainable Development Commission, May 2006 at p. 21.