Scottish Producers Set For Public Sector Boost

Scottish producers are set to receive fresh support to increase the use of locally produced food and drink across public sector settings, including schools, hospitals and government offices.

First Minister John Swinney announced the creation of a new Public Sector Food Procurement Taskforce during a speech to the Quality Meat Scotland breakfast at the Royal Highland Show.

The taskforce has been established to identify and tackle the barriers that currently make it harder for public sector organisations to source more Scottish food and drink. It will bring together representatives from across the food system, including producers, processors and procurement specialists, with its first meeting due to take place later this summer.

The move signals a renewed push to strengthen Scotland’s food economy by opening up more public sector catering opportunities to farmers, crofters, growers, processors and other food and drink businesses.

The Scottish Government said the initiative will support local producers while helping to ensure more people in public settings can benefit from fresh and nutritious food.

John Swinney said Scotland’s food and drink is “among the best in the world”, adding that producers and processors are central to the country’s economy and support jobs across rural and island communities.

He said: “This taskforce will strengthen the use of Scotland’s fantastic local produce in public sector environments – whether that is catering in hospitals, schools or government offices. Doing so will offer an important boost to local food producers including farmers and crofters and help to grow Scotland’s agricultural economy – supporting our rural communities to thrive.

“Sourcing food locally brings significant environmental benefits, reducing the miles food needs to travel from production to plate. It will also mean more people can benefit from fresh and nutritious produce, helping them to live healthier lives.

“This government will do everything in our power to ensure that rural Scotland and our food and drink sector continue to thrive.”

The taskforce will be chaired by Minister for Agriculture, Marine and the Islands Jim Fairlie. Its membership will be drawn from producers, buyers and the wider food sector across Scotland.

According to the Scottish Government, the group will work at pace to provide a range of recommendations to ministers.

For Scotland’s food and drink sector, the announcement could represent an important opportunity to turn public sector catering into a stronger, more dependable route to market.

If practical barriers around cost, procurement rules, logistics, supply consistency and contract accessibility can be addressed, the taskforce has the potential to deliver a meaningful boost for local supply chains while putting more Scottish produce on public plates.