Food security Bill is needed in Scotland

Alongside water, shelter and warmth, food is one of the basic building blocks of self-sufficiency and self-determination.

Access to food is an essential part of the human right to an adequate standard of living that allows people to live with dignity.

As well as a necessity food is a human pleasure.

Here in Scotland we take pride in the quality of food and drink we have to offer, and the hard work of our food producers and suppliers.

We are a wealthy nation, and people living here should always be able to easily access sufficient food, but the harsh reality is that is not always the case.

Figures from the Trussell Trust show that 17 per cent of all Scottish adults, or their households, have experienced food insecurity. Meaning over the course of a year an estimated 1.2 million people had run out of food and were unable to afford more, and/or reduced meal size, ate less, went hungry or lost weight due to a lack of money. Seven per cent of Scottish households accessed food aid, such as from a food bank or a social supermarket. Food bank use though does not represent the entirely of need – despite the growth in food parcel provision and food banks, more than two thirds of those experiencing food insecurity have not received food aid – they are facing hardship without such help.

It is hard to work or to learn on an empty stomach, but we know there are children who turn up at school without having eaten.

There are adults who skip breakfast before starting work, because the cost of another meal is harder to manage than going hungry. Not eating enough, or eating poor quality food, can result in health problems in the longer term.

There are also social and economic costs of poor diet.

The right to food already exists in international human rights law.

While Scotland, as part of the UK, is signed up to this – it is not yet incorporated into domestic law in Scotland so there is no formal means of ensuring this right is systematically taken into account by the Government or Parliament.

Back in 2019 the Scottish Human Rights Commission called for the right to food to be incorporated into Scots law, and after a lack of action on the part of the Scottish Government, my Scottish Labour colleague Rhoda Grant introduced a proposal to incorporate the right to food in 2021.

The subsequent Bill was lodged earlier this year and recently secured the support required for it to be formally introduced to Parliament.

Passing this Bill would be a practical way for Scotland can demonstrate human rights leadership.

While the Scottish Government has indicated a willingness take action at some stage, the need for food security is urgent and this right should be enshrined in Scots law now, not at an unspecified point in the future when further legislation may or may not be introduced.

This Bill offers an opportunity to act now to ensure everyone in our country can access the food they need.

I look forward to seeing it progress through the Parliament and will be urging other MSPS to support it.

That so many people are going hungry, cutting back, or relying on foodbanks is a scandal.

Access to food is a human right that is currently being denied to too many people in Scotland – more than ever we need to make the right to food a reality.

This Bill offers an opportunity to act now