Make it easy to do business in Scotland

"We represent a range of companies of all sizes. One attribute they all have in common is that they have a significant interest in Scotland; they provide employment and contribute to the country's wealth"

Moratorium on employment regulations

The food and drink industry recognises that employment regulations exist in order to protect both the employee and the employer. However, the amount of legislation concerning employment law is often complex, confusing and time-intensive.

Country of origin labelling should be straightforward

SFDF fully supports the requirements of the Labelling Directive to ensure that misleading statements of origin are not made but considers any extension of the legislation to require origin labelling would be burdensome to achieve; increase costs; contribute little to improving consumer information; further complicate the label; and would have no impact on food safety.

SFDF considers that there should be no requirement to provide origin labelling for single ingredients (other than meat, poultry or fish) or for the ingredients of composite products due to the complexity, and necessary flexibility, in sourcing many ingredients, particularly seasonal ingredients, to ensure a consistent supply of appropriate quantity and quality. SFDF supports the voluntary actions of food manufacturers in responding to consumer led interest for specific origin information.

Up front information about business premises

Since the last Scottish election our members have continued to grow. This brings unique challenges for a business, particularly if they have premises that were designed for much smaller production.

"We are calling on the new administration to improve the assistance provided to business looking for premises to include more upfront information on energy performance, access to broadband. Like a home report, but for business."

More information

Download PDF: Manifesto: Supporting our Industry. Supporting growth. Supporting Scotland.