About the proposed Right to Food (Scotland) Bill

Food is a human right yet so many people in Scotland go hungry every single day. This Bill proposes to incorporate the human right to food into Scots law.​

In recent years in Scotland and across the entire United Kingdom, we have witnessed an appalling rise in the number of food banks and food parcels being handed out. This should not be necessary in a country with our wealth and resources. There are many factors that contribute to food insecurity and to the wider challenges for our food system, and any legislation seeking to tackle these issues must be bold and ambitious. The Good Food Nation bill, recently delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, did not go far enough. We need to act with urgency to ensure that all in our country are able to eat.

According to our international obligations, we all have a right to food. However, at present this right is not enforceable in Scots law, unlike in many other countries. Without the ability to enforce human rights, and without anything to compel policy makers and stakeholders to protect, respect and advance these rights, they risk being meaningless. This bill seeks to enshrine the right to food into law, placing clear duties on public authorities, with appropriate targets and measurements to ensure that the people of Scotland’s right to food is being met.

Scotland has a food and drink sector renowned around the world. We produce far more food than we need, and in the past have created a significant amount of unnecessary food waste. In a country where many children go hungry, and where some people need to go without food in order to feed other members of their family, that situation cannot be allowed to continue.

Food is a basic human right. This right is protected by law in a number of countries around the world; it should be in Scotland too. We must ensure a fair food system, and a future free from hunger for all in Scotland. I believe that the enshrining of the right to food in Scots law, and the creation of a statutory body with oversight on food is the best way to achieve that future.