Scotland’s new Programme for Government sets out an ambitious programme for the years ahead, with food affordability, child poverty, prevention and NHS reform all featuring prominently.
There is a lot to unpack, but here are some of the announcements that stand out for dietitians – and how they link to the priorities we set out in our BDA Scottish Manifesto 2026.
Breakfast clubs: nutrition from the start of the day
The Scottish Government is moving towards a national breakfast club offer for all primary schools from August 2027.
For dietitians, this is about much more than breakfast. School food is an important opportunity to address food insecurity, healthy eating and health inequalities, particularly for children experiencing poverty.
A significant proportion of children’s daily food intake takes place during the school day, making the nutritional quality of food available in schools an important part of the wider public health picture.
It also raises an important question: where is dietetic expertise in the design and delivery of these programmes?
This links closely to the BDA’s manifesto call for dietitians to have a stronger role in shaping food and nutrition policy and tackling health inequalities, as well as our continued work on universal free school meals and the importance of ensuring school food supports good nutrition.
Supermarket price caps: making healthy food more affordable?
One of the most talked-about policies from the election campaign is now moving forward: the Scottish Government plans to introduce price ceilings on some essential food items in large supermarkets.
The First Minister has argued that action is needed to support people struggling with the weekly shop, while retailers and food producers have warned of potential unintended consequences for the wider market.
For dietitians, this is a particularly interesting development. Affordability is a key factor in what people eat – but which foods will be included in the capped basket? Will nutritional value be considered? And could the policy help make healthier choices more affordable?
The Scottish Government is now consulting on how the policy could work, so there is plenty still to be decided.
The BDA has been calling for greater recognition of dietitians’ expertise in food and nutrition policy, including through Scotland’s Good Food Nation agenda. The proposed price cap makes this even more relevant. The BDA will endeavour to make sure affordability and nutritional value are considered together.
Two NHS boards: what does this mean for dietetics?
Perhaps the biggest change for NHS dietitians is the proposal to reduce Scotland’s 14 territorial NHS boards to two Strategic Health Boards.
The intention is to reduce duplication, improve joined-up care and free up capacity, with the Government describing this as a major structural reform of the NHS.
For dietetics, this could create opportunities for better workforce planning, more consistent services and stronger career pathways across Scotland.
But restructuring on this scale also brings uncertainty.
What will happen to existing dietetic teams? Could centralisation affect access to services, particularly in rural and remote areas? And, importantly, what will this mean for student placements, practice education and future dietetic workforce planning?
The BDA’s Scottish Manifesto called for stronger AHP leadership, improved access to practice-based learning and action to support the future dietetic workforce. With such significant NHS restructuring ahead, these asks become even more important.
These are questions the profession needs answered as the detail of the reforms develops. The BDA will continue to stay on top of this matter and stand ready to support members as the detail develops.
If you have any queries, or views and experiences you’d like to share, please get in touch [email protected]
Prevention needs a workforce
The Programme for Government puts a strong emphasis on prevention and early intervention, alongside a new Diet and Healthy Weight Management Plan.
This is great news for dietetics.
But prevention does not happen without a workforce. If Scotland wants more dietitians working in primary care, communities, public health and prevention, it will need to invest in training places, placements, bursaries and career development.
These are areas the BDA has already highlighted in our manifesto, including calls for better support for dietetic students, expanded apprenticeship routes and equitable access to high-quality practice-based learning.
The opportunity now is to make sure these ambitions translate into investment in the workforce needed to deliver them.
What happens next?
The devil, as ever, will be in the detail. There appear to be significant opportunities here for the profession, but also some important questions about how these ambitions will translate into policy and practice.
The Government has set out ambitions for healthier children, tackling food insecurity, improving food affordability, preventing ill health and redesigning the NHS. These are all areas where dietitians have a critical role.
As the Programme for Government moves from announcement to implementation, we will make sure dietitians have a strong voice and are at the heart of our conversations with government, as these policies take shape.
If you would like to get in touch with us please email [email protected].
