Stephen Jardine: When it comes to what we eat and drink, Scotland should not be a two-tier society

This weekend three Scottish restaurants will be even busier than usual. Expect the reservation books to be filling up fast over the next few months at the three latest establishments to pick up Michelin stars. Scotland now has fifteen restaurants carrying the ultimate cooking accolade.

This is great news, proving how far we have come and raising the bar for others. But let’s not become complacent about the dark corners that still exist in our food and drink landscape. We should celebrate every accolade we receive but we should also face up to the challenges.

Last week, I took part in the Nourish Scotland conference, which looked at sustainable food production and food security in the years ahead. When lunch was served it was, of course, a delicious spread of healthy, nutritious, locally sourced food.

Sadly, I had to leave and as I walked away from the sounds of happy eating, out onto the streets, I came face to face with food reality. In front of the strip of fried food takeaways and frozen food shops stood a large group of people sheltering from the rain. Many were overweight and smoking, and lunch for all of them was saturated fats and calorie-laden fizzy drinks. They weren’t doing that out of ignorance about the relationship between food and health. They were doing it because they live in an area with very limited choices. With no other options on a miserable day, who could blame them?

The Scottish Government is making significant strides with its healthy living initiatives and some of our big commercial caterers are doing great work ensuring better choices are available in workplace canteens and in schools and hospitals.

But politicians also need to look at more fundamental measures. Almost one in three Scots are now officially obese, and all the projections suggest that figure is only getting worse, putting intolerable strain on the National Health Service. A senior Scottish Government health official told me this week the country would be hard pressed to cope with obesity in a time of economic plenty.

With Bank of England governor Sir Mervyn King warning that we face “the most serious financial crisis” ever seen, we simply can’t afford to get fatter.

Denmark faced up to the challenge this week, announcing the world’s first fat tax. If saturated fat comprises more than 2.3 per cent of a foodstuff, the item will be subject to additional taxation. Processed foods in particular are expected to be hard hit. The French are also set to introduce additional taxation on sugary drinks, and Australia is examining similar options. In my view, taxation like this should always be a last resort. It hits hardest, those with the least.

As a nation, our next step would be clear “traffic light” labelling of food. Junk food manufacturers and retailers hate the idea and have lobbied hard against it, but a clear and understandable standard system needs to be adopted so we all understand what our food is doing to us. But, if that doesn’t make a difference, in the long term, a fat tax targeting those foods steeped in sugar and saturated fat might be the only option we have left.

With one condition. It could not simply be another part of the government’s growing array of revenue-raising measures.

Instead, any fat tax should be ring-fenced and used to support local food co-operatives, to subsidise fruit and vegetable sales and to assist healthy living groups to spread the message and support people struggling to change their diet. When it comes to food and drink, Scotland should not be a two-tier society.

Let’s celebrate good food with awards and stars but let’s not be afraid to punish bad food for the damage it does to our society.