Scottish children are being served imported Thai chicken, enquiries by the Scottish Greens have revealed, three years after the party called for local procurement in order to benefit the Scottish economy.
Alison Johnstone MSP, the party’s spokesperson for health, children and young people said she was disappointed by a lack of progress in sourcing Scottish chicken for school meals.
Freedom of Information requests three years ago revealed many councils were flying in chicken nuggets from Thailand. Fresh FOI requests show councils spent £1.3m on chicken products from Thailand last year, the Scottish Greens said.
“It’s disappointing that three years on from our investigation this remains a problem,” said Johnstone. “Our economy is losing out. Government food policy remains too focused on exports rather than supporting local procurement. Councils need support so they can buy Scottish more often.”