3 April 2019
Speech in the Scottish Parliament debate
(part one of David's speech)
The text of his speech reads :
This has been an excellent debate, with well argued and informative speeches from members of all parties.
The Labour amendment emphasises the bigger picture, such as the role that health inequality and austerity play in creating food insecurity. I should declare my membership of the Scottish Co-operative Party.
The key element in the debate, which a succession of speakers mentioned, is that nutrition plays a crucial role in fighting, head-on, the growing cost of preventable health conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and many types of cancer.
As the minister Joe FitzPatrick, Mark Ruskell, Alex Cole-Hamilton, John Scott, Emma Harper, Johann Lamont and George Adam said, more than a quarter of adults in Scotland are obese, which increases their risk of developing potentially serious health conditions.
As we all know, the risk of obesity varies across Scotland.
The rate among women who live in affluent areas is 21 per cent, compared with 37 per cent in disadvantaged areas.
Excellent points were made in the debate. I did not agree with all Brian Whittle’s comments, but he made sense when he talked about locally sourced food.
He made the interesting point that 70 per cent of school meals fail to meet nutritional standards, and he made the important point that there is a link between nutrition and the management of mental health.
I agree with the minister on the importance of Scotland being a place where people eat well and are of healthy weight, on the prevention of ill health and on the need for a joined-up approach, with informed, healthier choices.
Mark Ruskell made a strong point about the right to food, which I echoed in my speech, in the context of my comments about the good food nation bill.
He also talked about the worrying decline in green spaces and the important link between child poverty and child health.
Alex Cole-Hamilton adopted a Churchillian role when he talked about digging for victory and the cost of obesity. He made important points about the need to develop independent living, particularly in schools.
John Scott, who is a very experienced farmer, made good points about the campaign to source and buy local food, with which I strongly agree, and about the magic pill of exercise, which we should use a lot more.
I was not aware of the Scottish diet action plan, which is another important issue to emphasise.
Emma Harper made excellent points.
In particular, I share her view on “Fixing Dad”—I was also at the presentation that she mentioned.
For members who have not followed it, the programme offers an effective way of reducing, if not quite curing, type 2 diabetes.
Emma Harper also talked about the important role of social prescribing and the vital importance of a balanced diet.
Johann Lamont made excellent points about healthy eating.
She said that we can all talk about a practical and sensible approach; the difficulty is how we enact it on the ground.
She also talked about the impact of UK economic policy and stressed the importance of the Scottish campaign for food justice.
Health inequality is at the root of this debate.
Poverty, social deprivation and social inequalities are significant contributors to people being overweight; it is the least well-off who are most at risk.
Why should someone’s postcode determine their life expectancy?
Why should not the right to food be a basic human right?
As Martin Luther King said:
“Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.”