Food and Drink Federation (FDF) Scotland has announced the appointment of James Macsween as its new chair and Katherine Durie as its new vice chair.
Macsween, managing director at Macsween of Edinburgh, succeeds Jim Fox, head of public affairs GB at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, who has retired. Durie is European legal counsel at Baxters Food Group.
Macsween’s priority will be to support the future growth of Scotland’s food and drink manufacturing industry. To further this aim, FDF Scotland called on the Scottish Government to:
- Collaborate with other UK nations to develop consistent food and drink regulations, minimising cost and complexity for businesses and shoppers. This includes ensuring the regulations that will restrict the promotions of food and drink are not different in Scottish stores from those in England.
- Create a ring-fenced fund for the food and drink industry to de-risk innovation around decarbonisation. This could be done by injecting further support into the Scottish Industrial Energy Transformation Fund or through other mechanisms.
- Support the development and implementation of a national food and drink net zero transition plan in collaboration with FDF Scotland’s Net Zero Programme.
- Transform packaging recycling and reprocessing to a world-class system through collaboration with other policy makers and food and drink producers.
- Implement actions from the Independent Review of the Skills Delivery Landscape to meet the industry’s skills needs.
- Work with Westminster on the Growth and Skills Levy to enable food and drink manufacturers to invest Levy funds in training that can address skills needs and improve productivity growth.
- Continue supporting FDF Scotland’s Reformulation for Health Programme to help manufacturers make their food healthier.
- Increase support, investment, and resources for food safety, particularly in supporting Food Standards Scotland’s redesign of the food law delivery and assurance framework.
The call comes at a challenging time for the industry with changes in Minimum Wage and National Insurance costs significantly impacting businesses’ ability to invest and grow. FDF Scotland stressed the importance of other policies and legislation not increasing the financial burden on already stretched companies.
James Macsween, FDF Scotland’s chair, commented: “I am honoured to lead FDF Scotland at such a pivotal time for our industry. My focus will be on driving sustainable growth and ensuring that our members have the support they need to thrive. Together, we can build a stronger, more resilient sector that continues to deliver high-quality food and drink that people enjoy at home and across the world.”
Katherine Durie, FDF Scotland’s vice chair, added: “I am delighted to take on the role of vice chair and work alongside James to support the growth and success of Scotland’s food and drink industry.”
