This is one of two guest blogs by Dr Claire Perier that give an overview of recent developments in food policy ahead of the Scottish Parliament scrutiny of the first National Good Food Nation Plan.
As with all guest blogs, what follows are the views of the author and not those of SPICe, or of the Scottish Parliament.
On 27th of June 2025, the Scottish Government published the long-awaited Proposed National GFN Plan and laid it before the Parliament for scrutiny. A companion blog, titled Scotland’s attempt at a systems approach to food policy, explores the background of this publication. This blog provides further details on other recent announcements relevant to food policy in Scotland, as well as parallel developments in food policy in the rest of the UK.
Scotland
On 17th of June 2025, the Scottish Government announced that Scotland would align with policy in England and Wales on restricting promotion of food high in fat, sugar or salt. UK regulations on this matter were originally planned to come into force in 2023, but some elements have been delayed several times due to concerns around their implementation raised by industry stakeholders.
The month of June also saw the publication of Scotland’s Population Health Framework and Scotland’s Public Service Reform Strategy, both of which emphasise prevention – including tackling obesity and dietary health – and joined-up approaches to policy to drive long-term change. Commentators noted however that the framework had few “clear and specific actions relating to primary prevention” and that “”implementation is what matters most” to deliver the strategy’s ambitions.
Also in June was the progression of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill to Stage 3, after consideration of over 500 amendments. Sections of the bill seeking to address land ownership concentration have proved highly controversial, with the National Farmers Union Scotland warning it could “punish those who manage a significant proportion of Scotland’s land to exceptionally high standards”
Finally, the publication on 15th of July 2025 of “Towards a Good Food Cycle: a UK government food strategy for England, considering the wider UK food system” moved the spotlight towards the rest of the UK. The next section explores the most recent policy developments across the other four nations of the UK.
England
The UK government food strategy for England published in June 2025 replaces the previous administration’s food strategy which was published in June 2022 and had been criticised for its lack of ambition. The new strategy introduces a new approach centred on people, grounded in place, and focused on the long-term. The announcement was endorsed by three Ministers (Food Security, Health and Employment), showcasing the UK Government’s commitment to a systems approach to food policy. It builds on the 2021 independent review of the UK food system led by Henry Dimbleby, Professor Tim Lang’s 2025 report on food resilience but also a 2024 Newton Future Factory Report on the productivity of the food and drink manufacturing sector. The UK Government identifies ten priority outcomes to support the development of a “good food cycle”:
- An improved food environment that supports healthier and more environmentally sustainable food sales
- Access for all to safe, affordable, healthy, convenient and appealing food options
- Conditions for the food sector to thrive and grow sustainably, including investment in innovation, and productivity, and fairer, more transparent supply chains
- Food sector attracts talent and develops skilled workforce in every region
- Food supply is environmentally sustainable, with hight animal welfare standards, and waste is reduced
- Trade supports environmentally sustainable growth, upholds British standards and expands exports opportunities
- Resilient domestic production for a secure supply of healthy food
- Greater preparedness for supply chain shocks, disruption and impacts of chronic risks
- Celebrated and valued UK, regional and local food cultures
- People are more connected to their local food systems and have the confidence, knowledge and skills to cook and eat healthily
The government was supported in the development of this document by the Food Strategy Advisory Board (FSAB), an independent expert group established in 2025 and chaired by the Minister of State for Food Security and Rural Affairs. The DEFRA team also worked closely with a Citizens Advisory Council to ensure lived experiences would inform the strategy. Members included citizens from the Food Foundation Ambassadors programme and participants from the Food, Farming & Countryside Commission Food Conversation, the UK’s largest public dialogue about the food system.
Responses to the new food strategy for England were predominantly positive, especially given the commitments to joined-up thinking, long-term change and the central role of people. However, questions were raised as to how the new strategy’s outcomes would be implemented in practice:
- The National Farmers Union welcomed this development but said that “joined-up and pragmatic policy measures must sit behind it” to deliver its ambitious outcomes and asked for greater short-term certainty to restore farm businesses’ confidence. Other farming activists criticised the absence of references to British meat and dairy production, fearing this would signal a move towards “starving the system, selling our land and outsourcing the food supply”.
- The Food & Drink Federation (representing manufacturers) were pleased to “see government acknowledge the importance of our industry”
- The plan was backed by retailer Sainsbury’s, whose CEO is a member of the FSAB
- Likewise, third sector organisations Food, Farming & Countryside Commission and the Food Foundation, who were actively involved in the strategy’s development, praised the Government’s ambition and their commitment to have citizens involved.
- The charity Sustain also saw the publication as a key step in the development of a comprehensive food strategy but insisted that ”these ambitions can only be met if embedded by law and regulation”. Its director of Policy and Advocacy was appreciative of the Government’s collaborative approach and inclusion of citizens and civil society voices.
- The Soil Association welcomed the announcements, and in particular support for local food partnerships, but expressed concerns that “the ultra-processed food industry is having too great an influence and may prevent this vision from being truly transformative”
- The AFN Network+, whose Food Systems Nutrition and Health Policy Champion attended the strategy launch, noted that the ten outcomes “represent a genuinely comprehensive approach that feels like a departure from previous piecemeal policy-making”. However, they also highlighted that it seemed unlikely that more radical policy levers such as taxation or regulation would make it in the implementation plan, and that delivery of this ambitious framework would “require unprecedented coordination across government departments and sustained political commitment”.
Despite enthusiasm for the strategy amongst industry and civil sector, alarm bells were raised after ‘The Grocer’ reported that mentions of a white paper were pulled at the last minute due to lack of backing from the Prime Minister and the Treasury. The magazine also noted that none of the specific interventions discussed by the FSAB were included, and that some industry sources felt, like civil society organisations mentioned above, that the strategy was lacking in substance.
Wales
There is currently no national food policy in Wales. However, the food system was identified as one of two areas of focus (alongside Artificial Intelligence) within Cymry Can, the 2023-2030 strategy for the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales. The Commissioner’s Office has lobbied the Welsh Government to develop a long-term food strategy and worked with public bodies to integrate sustainable food policies within their wellbeing plans. The first of these two recommendations were reiterated in the Future Generations Report 2025, where the Commissioner argued for the development of a national food resilience plan to “ensure equal access to local, affordable, healthy and sustainable diets”.
In July 2024, the Welsh Government published Food Matters: Wales, which lists food related policies across the devolved portfolio, and how they support the wellbeing objectives set out in the 2021-26 programme for government. In April 2025, the Welsh Government published a Community Food Strategy, which aims to strengthen local food systems and create more resilient communities. Whilst the focus is technically on the local element, this document is framed by a systems approach to food. Its overall vision is:
Working in partnership to promote and strengthen the local and community food system in Wales; increasing the availability and consumption of locally sourced, healthier and sustainable food; and inspiring improvements in well-being within our communities.
Northern Ireland
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs published its long-term Northern Ireland Food Strategy Framework in November 2024. It is grounded in a new “whole of government approach” that recognises the interconnected between food, health, the economy and the environment, and seeks to achieve the following vision:
A transformed innovative food system that protects and enhances natural resources for future generations, is environmentally sustainable, economically ambitious and provides safe, nutritionally balanced, accessible food for all.
The Framework introduces a mechanism for collaboration across food-related policy areas by providing an enabling environment that brings a wide range of perspectives together, including relevant departments but also local government, the private sector and communities. A dedicated Food Programme Board, which will sit within the broader Green Growth governance structures, will be responsible for engaging with relevant stakeholders, develop action plans and oversee their implementation. This process is to be guided by eight decision making principles: right to food, sustainability, collaboration & leadership, inclusivity & openness, evidence & accountability, adaptability, long-term focus and single supply chain. A first 2025-2027 action plan, aligned with the delivery period of the current Programme for Government and Executive mandate, was published in May 2025.
Dr. Claire Perier, Academic Fellow