SCOTLAND'S FIRST food policy, which promises to boost the industry and promote healthy eating, will be announced by the government this week.

Plans set out by Richard Lochhead, cabinet secretary for rural affairs and the environment, will take a comprehensive look at every aspect of the food chain - "from farm gate to plate".

The policy, which Lochhead will discuss in a speech to the Scottish Food and Drink Federation's policy forum on Wednesday, is designed to help make food healthier, boost the economic growth of the food industry and minimise the environmental impact of food production.

However, one of Scotland's top chefs, Shirley Spear, who owns the renowned Three Chimneys restaurant on the Isle of Skye, said Lochhead's proposals were 20 years too late.

"As a restaurateur and chef in Scotland I've been trying to make the powers-that-be understand that tourism and food go hand-in-hand. The announcement he's making should have been made 20 years ago. We have done very little to promote Scotland through its wonderful food and it's high time we got on with it."

Spear said it was only in the past two years that Scotland had made inroads to dispelling the deep-fried Mars bar image associated with unhealthy eating.

"Scottish people need to give themselves recognition that our food culture is deep-rooted and important to us as a nation, and we should be making much more of it for ourselves and our visitors."

Lochhead said the new food policy would secure the "finest future for Scottish food".

"We need to tap into the potential of Scotland's world-famous produce to secure a healthier, wealthier, greener Scotland. Supporting food production and manufacturing in Scotland is in our national interest.

"Food is about so much more than what we eat. It is about jobs, businesses, the environment, tourism and the health of our nation.

"The time is right to start this debate and I hope as many people as possible will have their say about the future of Scottish food."

For Spear, one obstacle in the way of using more Scottish produce in restaurants and hotels is that too much food is being exported.

"My son, who works for a restaurant in Edinburgh, was in Spain over the new year and he had a meal of Scottish langoustines in the north of the country, in a town miles away from the coast "In Skye we are paying double the price per kilo of fresh langoustines than the Spanish pay, and that's because so much of it goes abroad there's little left for Scottish buyers."

She added: "Sometimes restaurants here are being criticised for charging too much for local food, but we are paying the going rate. I understand export is important but we should be able to get the same produce at a fair price."

The launch of the policy comes at a time when public awareness about where food comes from is at an all-time high. Scottish chefs such as Nick Nairn and Martin Wishart have also talked up the importance of using Scottish, seasonal food.

A national discussion will also be unveiled this week that will allow people to have their say via events and online forums, as well as written responses.

Potential areas for change could include schemes to enable people to know where their food comes from, the sale of more affordable, healthier and clearly labelled Scottish produce and better promotion of food tourism.

Sheena Kitchin, Scotland's food and tourism tsar, said there was a growing interest from the general public and visitors about where food comes from.

She said that a series of workshops will be launched this year by the food tourism strategy team to encourage hospitality workers to use local produce in a healthy, creative way.

"The idea is that we have some expert food demonstrators who will be highlighting that using good local produce doesn't have to mean an increase in costs," she said.

"Trends show that although people enjoy the fried breakfasts now and then, there are more people looking for healthy, more interesting alternatives."