Scotland’s experts on farmer co-ops and food industry collaboration, we work with food and farming businesses to make them more profitable, competitive, and sustainable - #workingtogether to shape the future, today.
All our work helps facilitate farmers and food and drink businesses to work together effectively. Over the years we've expanded and developed subsidiary businesses - getting the right people together and making innovative advancements - to help benefit food, farming and rural Scotland.
Developing staff capability is one of the most effective ways to improve a co-op’s performance. Check out our events and training programme - most of which are open to non co-op members too.
As a development organisation, owned by our members, we provide a range of specialist services not available elsewhere, to assist them in developing their people and their businesses. Get in touch to find out how we can help you.
See below for all the latest news, views and updates from us here at SAOS. Find all our latest videos on YouTube at: SAOS - working together in food and farming
12 August 2025
In our latest blog, our Head of Supply Development Allene Bruce, who has a background in food nutrition, shares a fascinating and troubling look at the declining levels of nutrients in our food.
Sustainable nutrition is the intersection between two key drivers in the food industry – healthy planet (sustainable food systems) and healthy people (nutrient dense food).
As a concept, it’s steadily making its way up the agenda for decision makers – as just one example, global multinational Kerry Foods has named Sustainable Nutrition as its megatrend for 2025.
Food today might look as vibrant and abundant as ever, but beneath the surface, something crucial is declining: micronutrients. Over the decades, the essential minerals and vitamins in vegetables and other crops have quietly diminished. Studies conducted around the world reveal that levels of essential minerals such as calcium, iron, and phosphorus in vegetables like asparagus and spinach have dropped significantly since the 1950s. So what's behind this nutritional erosion?
One theory is the transformation of farming practices. After World War Two, agricultural science introduced high-yield crop varieties alongside synthetic fertilisers and pesticides. While these innovations boosted food production to meet the demands of a growing population, they may have also unintentionally led to diluted nutrient concentrations in crops.
Interestingly, soil quality doesn’t appear to be the main factor. One of the longest running agronomic experiments in the world, the Broadbalk Experiment at Rothamsted Research, has been comparing the effect of inorganic fertilisers and organic manures on winter wheat since 1843. It has specifically examined the levels of iron and zinc in wheat grown under different farming methods and found that, while the soil remained nutrient-rich, the wheat itself became less nutritious over time. This suggests that shifts in plant varieties - such as semi-dwarf wheat - may play a significant role in declining nutrient levels.
The implications of this change may be profound. As our food loses its nutritional density, we might be consuming more calories but fewer essential nutrients, meaning that the phenomenon of an obese yet malnourished population, which can already be seen in some populations, may become more common.
This raises critical questions about how we can reverse the trend. Can a move towards regenerative agricultural techniques restore lost nutrients? Can farmers be rewarded not just for yield, but the nutritional quality of the food they produce?
While the research community investigate solutions, one thing is clear - a holistic understanding where our food comes from and how it is grown is more important than ever.