Local Food Campaign Launched
At the Atholl Glens stall in the Food Hall of the Blair Horse Trials on Sunday 25 August Scottish Minister MSP John Swinney launched the Highland Perthshire NFU campaign to encourage people to choose local food and drink. The food and farming campaign highlights not only the quality of Scottish food and drink, but the environmental, animal welfare, health and social benefits of buying Scottish products.
The “What’s on your Plate?” campaign encourages people to think about their food and drink choices, and the positive impact they can have on the nation.
“The campaign highlights the five key steps people can take to back the future of Scottish food and farming,” said the MSP. |
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“These are: look for the label and choose Scottish; ask your local school or hospital about sourcing fresh local produce; shop at local butchers/grocers/bakers and farmers’ markets or farm shops; ask your child’s school to arrange a farm visit; and buy in season.
He continued: “In North Tayside and across Scotland, we are generally fortunate enough to be able to take food for granted. But how many of us ever actually think about where the food and drink we are eating has come from and the impact of our choices?
Job Support
“By buying local food, we don’t just invest in quality, we help safeguard our unique habitats and wildlife, tackle the increasing problem of food miles and underpin our rural communities and tens of thousands of jobs.
“The demand for local, Scottish food is already high, but the Highland Perthshire NFU campaign asks more people to think about their food choices and to buy Scottish. Hopefully, it will also help educate people on the origin of their meals and the efforts that go into producing the ingredients.
“We need our farmers, and our farmers need support from the most important people within the food supply chain – consumers. Small things can make a real difference.”
Broad Investment
He urged locals to embrace this campaign and help ensure that “the quality food and drink, for which Scotland is famous, continues to grace the dinner plates of the nation.”
The campaign stresses how Scotland’s farmers deliver far more to the population than just food. They take care of our beautiful countryside, protect valuable flora and fauna, contribute to the fight against climate change, provide healthy alternatives to junk food and take great care of the animals that they nurture.
Supporting Scottish farmers and buying their special Scottish produce is also an investment in
• family businesses and the local rural communities that they, in turn, support;
• Scotland’s famous countryside and it’s tourism industry;
• the fight against climate change and spiralling ‘food miles’;
• the health of future generations of your own family;
• high animal welfare standards;
• the UK’s supply of safe, quality food.
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