The methods of analysis used in the project are described in the respective sections of the report so that the reader can understand the approach and the results for each part of the discussion. This section briefly describes:
In order to undertake the analysis two major classifications were used. The first comprised the Scottish Government's strategic objectives and the topic areas raised by those who engaged in the discussion. The second involved the categorisation of stakeholders involved in the discussion according to their areas of activity.
The discussion gave rise to representations from a broad range of individuals and organisations both from within Scotland and from outside, and collectively they raised a wide variety of issues that might be addressed by a national food policy. To cope with this breadth of issues, a significant part of the analysis has involved categorising each response according to a set of 37 broad topics. These topics were developed ( i.e., adding new topics or refining the content of the existing ones) as the analysis of responses proceeded and new topics emerged. Each of these topics had an accompanying definition, which is presented in Table 2-1 and was allocated to one of the Scottish Government's Strategic Objectives.
Strategic Objective and Broad Topic Area | Definitions |
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Wealthier and Fairer |
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Labour market - skills, jobs | Provision of employment by the food and drink industry. Provision of training to food and drink industry's employees. Attractiveness of sector as a career choice. |
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Product market - exports | Identification of overseas markets for Scottish food and drink products and ways of expanding them. |
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Product market - public sector | Scope for public procurement in providing the Scottish food and drink industry with opportunities to supply local establishments. |
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Product market - direct sales | Food sold directly by producers, its prices and impact on farmers' incomes. |
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Product market - supermarkets | Prices set by supermarkets, their market power and contribution to the Scottish economy. |
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Prices - consumer | Prices paid for food by the consumer, mainly refer to prices set by the retail and catering sectors. |
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Prices - producer | Commodity prices received by producers for the inputs into food and drink production. |
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Fishing industry | Maintenance of fish stocks and a viable fishing industry, so as to maintain fishing communities and fish as an important dietary constituent. Includes fish farming. |
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Farming industry | Maintenance of Scottish agricultural production and the quality of its production, and protecting good agricultural land to ensure appropriate food security. Includes the significance of small-scale production. |
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Processing capacity in Scotland | The number and type of food processors and manufacturers in Scotland, their sourcing and selling strategies, including differentiation by quality features, and competitiveness issues. Includes the provision of infrastructure, including abattoirs and good transport links. Requirement for cohesion / collaboration in enterprise development support. |
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Drinks industry | Recognition of the drinks industry and its contribution to Scotland's exports and economy, and its relationship with farming and tourism. |
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Tourism | The role and contribution of Scottish food to the tourism industry and how food policy can promote Scotland as a country to tourists. Includes the catering sector as it relates to tourism. |
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R&D | Product innovation as well as innovation in methods of growing of food, its processing, storage and packaging (includes consumer insight to inform product development). Also, R & D relating to food science and nutrition. Maintenance of agricultural productivity, including GMO adoption. Plus Knowledge Transfer activities related to R and D. |
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Local food & local economies | The impact of the Scottish food industry on regional employment, income and general welfare. Including Government financial support for farmers and the food sector. |
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Fairtrade | Attitudes to fair trade goods, their pricing and availability, as well as their origin and the terms of trade. |
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Smarter |
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Education in schools | Provision of cooking and information about food nutrition and food production through school classes, plus practical experience and involvement of children in growing and preparing food. |
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Adult education | Provision of cooking guidance and information about food nutrition and food production in places like community centres, and distribution of information leaflets and brochures. Further and Higher Education in relation to Food Science and Technology. |
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Food labelling | Provision of information about nutritional content of food, its origin (including environmental issues and provenance) and ingredients on its packaging, including information provision for food provided by the catering sector. |
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Traceability | Availability of information at each stage of the supply chain about the origin of food and the route it has traveled. |
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Food Chain Collaboration | Food chain collaboration ensuring effective, efficient and sustainable food supply, which meets the needs of the businesses involved and consumers. |
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Animal welfare | The condition of livestock on farms, animal disease and ethical considerations. Plus welfare of animals in transit. |
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Healthier |
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Food and drink advertising and promotion | Regulation around advertising and promotion of food and drink that is high in fat, sugar and salt, especially that aimed at audiences of children. |
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Health promotion | Promotion of healthy eating and diet through the media. Also promotion of healthy eating and diet by the public sector through media and wider initiatives. Plus ethical behaviour of businesses in facilitating healthy diets. |
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Food safety | Health and safety standards in production, storage and transportation of food and drink. Raising awareness about health and safety when cooking and storing food at home. |
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Diet and nutrition | The link between diet and health and well-being. Includes health benefits of fruit and vegetables, availability and consumption of junk food, and product formulation e.g. additives, salts, fat etc. Plus R and D in relation to Diet and Nutrition. |
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Public establishment meals | The content of meals provided in public establishments ( e.g. hospitals, schools, homes, prisons etc.) with regards to their quality, nutritional content and freshness. |
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Safer and Stronger |
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External factors affecting food supply | Issues external to the Scottish food and drink industry such as energy prices, EU legislation and global markets. Also, climate change. |
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Capacity for food production | Capacity for expanding food production in Scotland given its climate and natural amenities. Identification of types of food and drink that could be produced most efficiently. |
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Access to food | Location of supermarkets and other retail outlets in rural and urban areas, formation of food deserts and public transport issues in such areas. Availability of good quality food in deprived areas, and for disadvantaged groups. Also, community food schemes. |
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Local food & local communities | The role of local food producers and processors in supplying the surrounding communities with fresh food, plus outdoor activities such as "pick your own" farms. |
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Greener |
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Organic production | The costs and benefits of organic production (perceived and �ecognized) in terms of health benefits, ethical issues and environmental impact. |
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Food waste | Excess of food bought but not consumed by households, as well as waste generated by the food supply chain. |
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Food packaging | Use of less packaging while still providing adequate food safety. Raising awareness about recycling and provision of recycling facilities. |
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Local food & food miles | The impact of local production and consumption on the environment in terms of the carbon footprint of the distance �raveled by food. |
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Food miles (other) | All other considerations in the food miles argument. For example, the balance between food miles and energy intensity of local production. |
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Environmentally friendly food production | The impact of agriculture and food processing on the environment in terms of pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, land use and waste. Includes concerns about GM production. |
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Grow your own | Environmental impact of households growing their own food as well as its effect on overcoming the problem of food deserts, and aiding improved understanding of where our food comes from. |
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Table 2-2 presents the classification of stakeholders according to their area of activity. 1 This categorisation also includes consumers and different types of businesses.
Source: Sargeant, 2005.
The project team have sought to use ethical research practices throughout the project. SAC has a documented quality policy and is committed to providing the highest possible level of service to its clients. SAC Research and Development (R&D) Division complies with the Joint Code of Practice for Research and all parts of SAC R&D work to the ISO9001/2000 quality standard.
The following practices listed in Table 2-3 have been used during the course of the study to ensure that the research has not been biased in any way and that the interests of the client and the discussion respondents have been fully protected.
Stakeholder events | SAC staff involved in the research attended 7 of the stakeholder events attended by Ministers or Government officials. The staff concerned merely observed the proceedings, and did not comment or play a part in promoting or formalising views. |
Analysis of written responses | A total of 442 written responses were provided for analysis. These were read and their contents recorded by 3 members of staff operating independently. The 'broad topics' and their 'definitions' used in the evaluation, were approved by Scottish Government officers. |
Analysis of the food blog | A total of 108 blog entries or comments were made by 80 individuals. The analysis was undertaken by an independent researcher and the themes used in the analysis were shared with Scottish Government officers. |
Interim and final reports | The interim and final reports were made available to Scottish Government officials and their contents discussed prior to report finalisation. |
Communication with Client | Members of the project team met with members of the Research Advisory Group on 3 occasions during the course of the study (proceedings were minuted). Regular communication was maintained with Scottish Government staff throughout the project period. |
Confidentiality | Data files were received from Scottish Government by personal delivery and all data files have been maintained in secure data folders (password protected). The confidentiality of respondents' comments has been maintained throughout, and the results of the analysis have been known only to the Project Team and the Scottish Government Research Advisory Group until completion of the project. |
Identifying attempts to bias the discussion | Care was taken to identify any attempts to bias the discussion by looking out for responses that copied the comments of other respondents, or other attempts to make repeated responses. No major forms of malpractice were identified amongst respondents. |
Avoiding conflict of interest | The SAC staff involved in the project did not play a part in finalising SAC's own contribution to the Future for Food discussion. |