Question reference: S6W-09352
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 27 June 2022
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Current status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 12 July 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports of a national food emergency, what steps it is taking to address any such emergency and ensure that people in Scotland have urgent access to good food.
Answer
The Scottish Government acknowledges that the STUC have declared a cost-of-living emergency and are calling for a national food summit.
We know that inflation is having the biggest impact on those with the lowest incomes. The UK Government holds most of the powers needed to tackle this crisis but the Scottish Government are doing what we can within our devolved powers and fixed budget, and have allocated almost £3 billion to a range of supports this year that will contribute to mitigating the impact of the increased cost of living on households. This includes work to tackle child poverty, reduce inequalities and support financial wellbeing, alongside social security payments not available anywhere else in the UK.
We have already consulted on a draft plan on ending the need for food banks and will publish a final version of this in the Autumn. This will further strengthen cash-first responses to hardship so that people have the income they need to access food and other essentials.
In addition, on 17 March 2022, the Scottish Government established a short-life Food Security and Supply Taskforce to monitor potential disruption to the food and drink supply chain as a result of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The Taskforce recognised that, while immediate supplies of food are secure, there is greater strain on the food supply chain than has been seen for many years, as a result of cumulative shocks to it from COVID-19, Brexit and the Ukraine conflict.
The Taskforce report was published on 23 June 2022 and included a series of recommendations that it hopes will help to bolster industry confidence during these hugely challenging times. [ Short Life Food Security and Supply Taskforce: report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) ]