Seòmar agus comataidhean

I also visited a pharmacy, in Ellon, and saw similar pieces of improved technology to those that you saw in the one that you visited. I was really struck with the importance in the community of community pharmacies. I do not think that a minute went by without somebody in the pharmacy.

The discussion broadened out to some of the areas on which you have touched in your question. I am speaking to officials about ways in which we can work with and support community pharmacies. It goes without saying that the work that they did throughout the pandemic really helped local communities. That work is continuing and it gives people in those communities the opportunity of a much closer, and sometimes more relaxed, interaction with healthcare, which is incredibly important.

That is a really important question that was highlighted to me yesterday when I heard from a mother whose son had been described as “fat” and “obese,” which had given him a dreadful lack of confidence.

You are absolutely right that language is incredibly important, as is how we work with local authorities, schools and other public bodies to ensure that the message is spread across our services. One example is the good food nation plan, which talks about ensuring that children have the opportunity to eat good healthy food. I saw that in operation last week at a primary school in Edinburgh, where they were talking about breakfast and healthy foods, such as Weetabix and fresh fruit. There is a whole conversation to be had around language, which is important in education centres as well as across the general public. We are very cognisant of that.

Stage 3 of the bill is coming up in the next couple of weeks. That will provide an opportunity for us to take cognisance of what you have said and to look at how we incorporate it in the debate. I am sure that Ms Mochan will cover the issue in the contributions that she makes in that debate.

I had a lot of discussions on such issues with my officials over the summer. We will do a consultation in the autumn on foods that are high in fat, sugar or salt, and we are consulting on which foods to concentrate on—crisps, confectionery, cakes and other foods. We will probably also consult on promotions, including meal deals, unlimited refills and location of products in stores. We will consider all those things. Over the summer when I was shopping, at the end of my shopping I got a voucher for a cake, and I thought, “Why didn’t I have the option of a voucher for a banana?” We are thinking about things such as that.

Emma Harper commented on the fact that rather than introduce a bill, we are producing regulations. We believe that that will allow us to move swiftly and efficiently. Circumstances changed, which allowed us to bring in regulations as opposed to a bill, and we are working at pace on the timescales.

I know the two publications on ultraprocessed foods that Emma Harper mentioned. There have also been a number of articles in newspapers on the topic, and there are a number of podcasts about ultraprocessed foods. I was in a meeting last week with Food Standards Scotland and Public Health Scotland at which I raised the issue as something on which I would like to get more information. We look at evidence from the scientific advisory committee on nutrition, but there is currently no specific evidence on ultraprocessed foods. The Scottish Government bases decisions and policies on evidence. We need to carry out further engagement and consultation on ultraprocessed foods. I have asked my officials to look at that.

As you will know, the tobacco action plan will come out this autumn, and it absolutely will consider vapes and where they are in shops. As you have, I have heard stories about the experiences of mothers in supermarkets, where vapes are at eye level for children and have bright colours that attract them. We are very aware of that situation, and it will be covered in the tobacco action plan.

No pressure has been put on us by other organisations not to introduce a bill, then an act, on the issue. A change in circumstances and evidence from England has allowed us to introduce measures using regulations.

When we bring in any food regulations, there must be proper and robust consultation, which is what we are doing now to ensure that we bring in the right policies, based on evidence, to improve people’s ability to buy the right food.

The subject is certainly a priority: it sits in my portfolio and is a priority within public health. I look at the matter from an education perspective. The joy is clear on the faces of some children, who might never have tried various fruits. That is why it is important that we work with education services to ensure that families understand the importance of food. Food should be a pleasure, and not just something that people have when they are watching television. That is where I am coming from. There is a huge challenge in changing the health and food environment across Scotland.

Thank you, cabinet secretary, and thanks to James Dornan for his question.

In the summer, I spent some time with a group providing peer support to people living with long Covid. I and my officials found that incredibly helpful, and we listened to the concerns that were being raised. What the cabinet secretary talked about and the fact that we have allowed health boards to ensure that they provide the services that are most important for the people who live in their vicinity was passed on to the group but it was helpful for me to hear what they said.

In the next couple of weeks, I have two meetings. One is with Long Covid Scotland, and the other is with children and families who have been affected by long Covid. That is important for informing the work as we go forward.

Absolutely. As they say, a healthy start to the day—breakfast—is so important. The free school meals are also helping to support families who might not be able to afford the foods that we would like them to be able to eat. That is part of a whole Scottish Government policy to transform the food environment. As you will know, we recognise the need to bring people out of poverty in order to improve the general health of the population.

We are seeing a hugely worrying situation and we are doing a number of strands of work in the area. Just last week, at a round-table event that was co-hosted by Lorna Slater, there was a discussion, from an environmental perspective, on the impact of single-use vapes. I also have a meeting this Saturday with young children. At the round-table meeting, there was real strength of feeling that we need to consult younger people more about the best thing to do.

We are building on regulations that are already in place and we are reviewing promotion and sale of vapes to under-18s to ensure that we have the right processes in place. We consulted in, I think, 2022 on restrictions on advertising and promotions, and we are looking at that as well. Much work is on-going, and I am working closely with my officials to ensure that we make the proportionate and right response to the current situation with regard to vapes.