Scottish Ministers have revoked the order that would have started section 6 of the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022 on 16 December 2025. The revocation was made on 11 December, laid on 12 December and takes effect on 15 December, cancelling the previous Commencement No. 4 Regulations (2025/291). No replacement start date has been set.

Section 6 matters because it would require Ministers to have regard to the national Good Food Nation Plan when exercising specified government functions. Without it beginning next week, that statutory duty will not yet apply to ministerial decisions.

Parliament has been scrutinising draft regulations that define the ministerial functions to be covered by section 6. The Rural Affairs and Islands Committee scheduled this scrutiny for 3 December, with the draft rules expected to come into force on 23 December if approved. The national Good Food Nation Plan itself was laid on 27 June and is due to be finalised by the end of December.

Other pillars of the Act continue. The Scottish Food Commission has been established, its independence provided for in law, and its functions commenced in 2025 to review progress against the national and local plans. By contrast, the duty on local authorities and health boards to publish their own plans (section 10) has not yet started, though guidance for preparing those plans was issued in March 2025.

This pause lands during a crucial year for food systems policy. Scotland remains off track for its commitment to cut total food waste by 33% from the 2013 baseline by 2025, with the most recent estimate showing about 1.04 million tonnes of food and drink waste in 2021. Keeping momentum on waste reduction is essential to ease household bills and emissions.

Agriculture remains a major source of climate pollution in Scotland, with sector emissions reported at 7.7 MtCO2e in 2022 and little movement since. Within that total, suckler beef accounted for around 41% of agricultural emissions. Aligning farm support, dietary health goals and nature recovery will be a key test for the plan once section 6 is active.

Food security trends underline the stakes. In 2023, 14% of adults reported food insecurity-the highest level since the time series began-before easing in 2024 as 8% of adults said they had worried about running out of food in the past year. Sustained improvement needs stable policy signals across welfare, procurement and public health.

What can be done while section 6 is delayed? Public bodies can continue to prepare draft Good Food Nation Plans using the government’s guidance, and use procurement to back healthier, more sustainable menus within existing rules. Scotland Excel’s current food frameworks already include measures on Scottish supply, waste reduction and fair work, offering practical levers for councils and caterers.

On food waste, authorities and suppliers can cut costs and emissions by adopting Target–Measure–Act approaches promoted by Zero Waste Scotland, including routine measurement, menu design for seasonal produce and staff engagement to reduce plate waste. These steps are proven, low-cost and ready to scale now.

The immediate ask is clarity. Ministers should confirm the revised start date for section 6 and the final scope of the specified functions so that national outcomes on diet, emissions, food waste and fair work can shape decisions across government. With the plan due before year‑end, timely commencement would avoid a gap between publication and practice.