Highlands and Islands Labour MSP Rhoda Grant has pledged to propose a Bill to enshrine the Human Right to Food in Scots Law early in the new year.

Foodbank use in Scotland recently hit a record high and Scottish Government research has found that almost one in five Scots has recently had to cut back on essentials such food in order to get by.

The Scottish Government has delayed the implementation of the Good Food Nations Act by half a year.

Rhoda Grant says that it has also repeatedly failed to set out a timeline for enshrining a legal Right to Food in Scots law.

Rhoda Grant said:

The Scottish Government have lodged legislation to delay rolling out the National Good Food Nation Plan for six months. The Act, which was passed in 2022, requires the Scottish Government, Local Authorities, and health boards to create food plans, which is overseen by a new independent food commission.

No public statement was made on the delay, with MSPs finding out through an amendment to the bill put forward at a Holyrood Committee.

Rhoda Grant continued:

“This delay will lead to more people suffering, more people at risk of malnutrition issues such as obesity, more people at risk to diseases such as rickets, and action to deal with food poverty delayed.

“At a time when the NHS is under real strain; the health, social and economic costs of poor diet is increasing meaning action is already urgent. Yet the Scottish Government are delaying the very actions that target food poverty. Sadly, this Government seems unable to deliver on any of its promises.

“I have asked the Government to explain why they have delayed. Local authorities and health boards need clarity in order to plan how to implement the detail contained in this National Good Food Nation Plan.

“Access to healthy, nutritious food is a human right but this needs to underpinned and reinforced by a commitment in law. That is why my proposed Right to Food Bill would enshrine the human right to food into Scots Law. It would create a legal requirement to ensure everyone has sufficient access to good quality food throughout the country.”

Trussell Trust Foodbank Parcels

1 April 2018 – 30 September 2018			1 April 2023 – 30 September 2023			Change from 2018 to 2023
Local Authority	Number of parcels for adults	Number of parcels for children	Total number of parcels distributed	Number of parcels for adults	Number of parcels for children FIGURE A	Total number of parcels distributed  FIGURE B	Parcels for adults	Parcels for children FIGURE C	Total parcels  FIGURE D
Aberdeen City	1,370	744	2,114	3,643	2,374	6,017	166%	219%	185%
Aberdeenshire	1,408	640	2,048	3,943	1,609	5,552	180%	151%	171%
Angus	1,453	478	1,931	694	272	966	-52%	-43%	-50%
City of Edinburgh	5,999	2,503	8,502	11,188	4,850	16,038	86%	94%	89%
Dumfries and Galloway	1,275	309	1,584	1,610	444	2,054	26%	44%	30%
Dundee City	3,122	1,286	4,408	4,528	1,960	6,488	45%	52%	47%
East Ayrshire	1,818	832	2,650	2,739	1,265	4,004	51%	52%	51%
East Dunbartonshire	1,438	550	1,988	2,229	992	3,221	55%	80%	62%
East Lothian	1,470	782	2,252	4,251	2,383	6,634	189%	205%	195%
East Renfrewshire	1,241	705	1,946	2,980	1,536	4,516	140%	118%	132%
Falkirk	2,532	1,213	3,745	2,776	1,107	3,883	10%	-9%	4%
Fife	4,395	2,150	6,545	5,300	2,996	8,296	21%	39%	27%
Glasgow City	10,963	6,387	17,350	9,966	5,935	15,901	-9%	-7%	-8%
Highland	2,707	1,087	3,794	2,813	1,280	4,093	4%	18%	8%
Inverclyde	2,249	764	3,013	2,318	679	2,997	3%	-11%	-1%
Midlothian	1,003	802	1,805	1,912	1,779	3,691	91%	122%	104%
North Ayrshire	2,860	1,056	3,916	1,911	597	2,508	-33%	-43%	-36%
North Lanarkshire	1,447	677	2,124	1,700	1,005	2,705	17%	48%	27%
Orkney Islands	226	143	369	530	288	818	135%	101%	122%
Perth and Kinross	1,701	519	2,220	2,777	1,087	3,864	63%	109%	74%
Renfrewshire	3,378	1,197	4,575	3,064	1,293	4,357	-9%	8%	-5%
Scottish Borders	182	58	240	437	180	617	140%	210%	157%
Shetland Islands	340	75	415	653	69	722	92%	-8%	74%
South Ayrshire	2,213	824	3,037	2,735	1,279	4,014

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