2017 Blog – Food for Life Scotland: Making good food the easy choice

What’s your strongest food memory?

For some, it might be a fond recollection of cooking with a close family relative; enjoying the taste, smell and texture of home-made food made with loved ones. For others, it might be a trip to a restaurant, or a picnic on the beach. Maybe your favourite food memory is a celebration; a wedding, or a get-together with family and friends. Whatever the memory, the chances are that your recollections include at least one of the following:  tasty food, good company, and pleasant surroundings.

But not all food memories are positive. For many, the strongest food memory isn’t a good one. Soggy, tasteless food. A noisy, dirty, cramped dining space. Feeling rushed, and gulping down your dinner to meet a deadline. Being forced to stay at the table until you’d finished everything on your plate. Indifferent service from waiting staff. No time to chat with and enjoy the company of those around you.

Whatever your food memory, the chances are that it’s made a lasting impression on the way you view certain foods, and it may still influence your food choices and food habits. And chances are, your strongest food memory is from your childhood.

At Food for Life Scotland, we work to make good food the easy choice for everyone. We want every Scot, young and old, to be able to access and enjoy good food, and create their own good food memories. We want good food – food that’s good for health, the economy, and the environment – to be part of the conversation and a way of life in schools, workplaces, shops, restaurants, care homes; everywhere that people live their daily lives. And for Scottish children and young people, the school meal is an ideal place to start.

Good food has the power to bring everyone in the school environment together; sharing and learning with and from one another. Exploring the provenance of the good food on the plate in front of you provides an ideal platform for exploring local and global heritage and identities; forging lasting connections with people from around the corner and across the globe.

Good food holds the key to healthier people, a thriving economy, and a greener environment. Will you join us on a good food journey?

Find out more about Food for Life Scotland at https://www.soilassociation.org/our-work-in-scotland/