Scotland is missing a major opportunity to back its own farmers and improve diets in schools and hospitals, NFU Scotland has warned, as it calls for urgent reform of public sector food procurement ahead of the final Good Food Nation Plan.
In a new paper, Putting Scottish Food First, the union says current procurement practices are failing to put locally produced food at the heart of public institutions, despite the economic, social and nutritional benefits this could deliver for farmers, crofters, growers and communities across the country.
The intervention comes as the Scottish government prepares to publish the final version of its National Good Food Nation Plan, following the release of a draft earlier this year.
While the draft sets out an ambitious vision for healthier, more sustainable food, NFU Scotland said it overlooks one of the most powerful levers available to government: using public sector buying power to prioritise fresh, Scottish produce in settings such as schools, hospitals and care homes.
NFU Scotland president Andrew Connon said the current system was falling short. “Public procurement should be a driver of better diets, stronger local economies and a more resilient farming and crofting sector. Right now, it isn’t,” he said.
“Scotland has the talent, the produce and the ambition – but without meaningful procurement reform, the Good Food Nation vision cannot be delivered.”
To examine the issue in detail, the union convened a procurement roundtable with the Public Sector Catering Alliance in late November, bringing together caterers, suppliers and stakeholders.
Discussions highlighted both the barriers within existing procurement rules and the opportunities to strengthen local supply chains, with insights from the session feeding directly into the union’s recommendations.
It pointed to recent decisions such as the loss of long-standing local supplier contracts and moves to increase meat-free days as examples of inconsistency across procurement processes.
NFU Scotland said such decisions risk undermining domestic supply chains and sit uneasily with the aims of the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2021. At the same time, it acknowledged the financial pressures facing caterers and said budgets must reflect the true cost of delivering high-quality food.
Among the changes being sought are a “Scottish First” approach to public sector food buying, a rebalancing of contract award criteria to better reflect quality, provenance and social value, and mandatory annual reporting on the value and origin of food purchased by public bodies.
NFU Scotland is also calling for catering budgets to rise in line with inflation and for school meal regulations to be reviewed so Scottish produce is included wherever possible.
With thousands of meals served every day in Scotland’s schools, hospitals and care settings, the union argues that even modest changes to procurement could deliver significant benefits for local producers while improving food education and dietary outcomes.
Mr Connon said farmers were ready to respond if the system changed. “Scotland’s farmers, crofters and growers stand ready to supply the nation with fresh, healthy, sustainable food,” he said. “What we need now is clear political leadership and a procurement system that values Scottish produce, not just the cheapest option.”
He warned that without reform, the Good Food Nation ambition risks falling short. Delivering it, he said, “must start with the food we serve in our own public institutions”.
