Draft proposal for Member’s Bill to include right to food in Scots Law

Date: 17th September 2021
Category: Child poverty

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A draft proposal for a Member’s Bill to include a right to food in Scots law has been lodged by MSP Rhoda Grant. It aims to reduce food insecurity and improve health.

Rhoda has explained that access to food is a human right, but it is currently being denied to too many people in Scotland. The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated this and increased the need for action to be taken to address this problem.

The key aims of the proposed bill are:

• enshrine the right to food in Scots Law
• place responsibility for driving and overseeing this right upon the Scottish Government
• establish responsibility for oversight onto either an existing body or create an independent statutory food commission to:
  • enable joined up policy making across food policy
  • set measurable targets on food security
  • require the Scottish Government to check policies against requirements of non-regression of the right to food.

For more information on MSP Rhoda Grant’s Proposed Right to Food (Scotland) Bill, click here.