Our aim is to work with our project partners to support the implementation of the Good Food Nation (GFN) Act by complementing and adding value to past, current and future food policy. In particular, we seek to develop a better understanding of the policymaking process, including the ways in which individuals and groups collaborate to develop, implement and monitor initiatives.
To build such knowledge, the Policy Unit will analyse food systems policy across scales and legislative cycles. We will show how (historical and current) ways of working and relationships within and between decision makers and stakeholders can act as barriers to, and enablers of, policy coherence, legislative compatibility and effective collaboration.
The two key tasks for the Policy Unit are:
- Mapping, and critically evaluating, the Scottish food policy ecosystem, including how it intersects with other related existing and forthcoming legislation.
- Exploring working practices and processes of decision-making, in order to make recommendations on removing barriers to coherent and collaborative food policy, and so enabling innovative public food partnerships and practices.
The Policy Unit’s key deliverable will be a report on the Scottish food policy ecosystem, which will be published towards the end of the project. This report will synthesise our findings in a practical and accessible form relevant to a wide range of stakeholders, including decision-makers and those involved in delivering, advocating for, and/or impacted by food systems policy and legislation.
Members of the Policy Unit are:
- Aoife Behan, Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems, University of Edinburgh
- Dr Isabel Fletcher, University of Edinburgh Business School, and Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems (Unit Lead)
- Dr Simone Lamont Black, Edinburgh Law School, University of Edinburgh
- Dr Kelly Parsons, MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge
- Claire Perier, Research Fellow in Food Systems Transformation (Policy and Governance), University of Edinburgh Business School