The future health of the nation rests on the enthusiasm of the fresh produce industry, according to Gillian Kynoch, food and health coordinator at the Scottish Executive.
“I need the industry pulling out all the stops,” she said. “This is about supply and demand and we will work with you but we need you on board.”
She said: “5 A DAY is not a campaign, it is what we intend to achieve. It is a major political priority. We need 400g a day for each person to get 5 A DAY. Can you supply it?” As well as taking care of supply, Kynoch encouraged retailers and suppliers to get involved in changing consumer attitudes.
“We have to stimulate demand for healthy choices,” she said. “It is every bit as important a task as ensuring supply. Affordability and availability is not enough. We have a toxic culture which stops people making the right choices.”
Kynoch highlighted the success of Scotland's Hungry for Success campaign to revamp school dinners, which prescribes the inclusion of a fruit and vegetable in every meal.
But the campaign has unveiled a staggering lack of basic food knowledge among children, parents and foodservice providers alike, she claimed.
She said: "I thought it would be about brat pans and deep fat fryers but it's all about chopping boards."
The Healthy Living Neighbourhood Shop Project aiming to increase fresh produce consumption among small retailers has been another triumph.
By simply moving fresh produce from the back of the store to the front, one retailer reported an almost immediate growth in sales of 400 per cent. And others said sales of fruit soared beyond the figures for the confectionary it had replaced.
Despite this success, convenience stores in low-income areas were still in desperate need of attention, she said.
"This is the hardest target audience. Scots shop more for convenience than the rest of the UK but the offer in the convenience sector is poor and we are not going to convince them."
Kynoch said a united approach from all government parties, local authorities, retailers and industry bodies was vital if knowledge and practise of healthy food choices were to improve.
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