Food on the timetable

The Royal Highland Show is an absolute ‘must-do’ for anyone connected to rural Scotland, farming and food.
 
This year’s event was my first in my new role as Environment Minister and an excellent opportunity to see for myself what our rural communities have to offer.

Food is always high on the agenda and I think it’s vital that we all learn a little bit more about where our food comes from.

So I was delighted to have the chance at the Show, to launch groundbreaking guidelines to help schools and food and drink organisations to help teach young people exactly that.

This is a fantastic initiative for school pupils to learn about their food’s journey from plough to plate, as well as making the connection between the food they eat and its environmental, health and social impact.

I hope that such knowledge will help our young people make healthier, sustainable food choices in the future, a notion which is very much in line with one of the key aims of Curriculum for Excellence – helping foster a sense of responsibility and environmental awareness in our young people

Scotland has a well-deserved reputation as a land of food and drink and it is vital that we continue to enhance this by engaging the next generation to make sure every child in Scotland has the chance to learn about the food they eat by 2015.

I would encourage food and drink organisations to embrace this opportunity to work in partnership with our schools to deliver a more personalised learning experience for every child.