Background and policy information
Information on our work on food and health and the policies that drive it.
Quick links on this page:
Food and health policy in Scotland
eatwell plate
Review of Scottish Diet Action Plan
Healthy Weight
Healthy Weight Action Plan
Public information
Food and health policy in Scotland
Current food and health policy in Scotland stems from Scotland’s Health: A Challenge to Us All – The Scottish Diet (Scottish Office, 1994).
Download executive summary of Scotland’s Health: A Challenge to Us All – The Scottish Diet.
The Scottish Diet report, as it became known, was followed in 1996 by Eating for Health: A Diet Action Plan for Scotland (external link) (Scottish Office, 1996) which set nutrient and food-based targets for achievement by 2005 and recommended a series of 71 actions to improve the diets and health of Scots. These targets were reiterated in Improving Health in Scotland: The Challenge (external link) (Scottish Executive, 2003).
In 2004 Eating for Health: Meeting the Challenge (external link), a strategic framework for action was published as a basis for developing further food and health policy and to guide national and local food and health action plans.
Eatwell plate
The Food Standards Agency eatwell plate has now been adopted as the recommended healthy eating plate model for use in Scotland. The eatwell plate shows the types and proportions of food that are needed to make up a healthy and well balanced diet.
Information for professionals on the eatwell plate is available at the Food Standards Agency Website.
Information for the public is available at the eatwell website.
Review of Scottish Diet Action Plan
Since July 2005 Health Scotland has been co-ordinating a review of the implementation of the Scottish Diet Action Plan between 1996 and 2005. A review panel, chaired by Professor Tim Lang, has taken forward the review and the final review report is due to be released in autumn 2006.
For further information, please see our pages on the Review of the Scottish Diet Action Plan.
Healthy Weight
The challenge of achieving and maintaining healthy weight at a population level is perhaps the most pressing nutritional issue of our time. In June 2005 Health Scotland convened a Healthy Weight seminar with key stakeholders from across Scotland.
The results of the seminar are available to download in the report Heavyweight or Healthy Weight?
This report has been used by the Scottish Food and Health Council (external link) of the Scottish Executive to inform their deliberations on a way forward for Healthy Weight in Scotland.
Healthy Weight Action Plan
Over the past 20 years or more, rates of obesity and those overweight among both adults and children have been increasing in most countries of the world except the very poorest. Scotland is no exception.
The 2003 Scottish Health Survey found that from 1995 to 2003 the proportion of men who were either overweight or obese rose from 56% to 64% and of women from 47% to 57%.
Among boys, the proportion who were overweight or obese rose from 29% to 35% between 1998 and 2003 whereas for girls there was no change.
Given its many adverse effects, it is widely accepted that obesity is one of the most serious threats to Scotland's current and future health and requires urgent action.
As obesity results from individuals consuming more energy than their bodies can use, it is generally agreed that both inputs (i.e. food and nutrition) and outputs (i.e. physical activity) need to be addressed.
As a preliminary stage in this process, the Scottish Executive invited Health Scotland to hold a meeting, which would bring together a wide range of professionals and other individuals with an interest in obesity.
The meeting was held on June 7, 2005 in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and was attended by 83 participants. Responses gathered at this event and through the wider consultation are gathered together in the paper Towards a Healthy Weight Action Plan for Scotland.
Public information
Health Scotland also supports the healthyliving.gov.uk (external link) website, which provides ongoing information and advice to the general public about healthy eating and physical activity.
Useful tools on this site include a Body Mass Indicator calculator, a calorie expenditure guide and healthy waist information.
Visit the Healthyliving (external link) website.
Health Scotland has also produced a weight management resource for use with clients in the primary care setting entitled The Little Book of White Lies.