Our history and activities in Scotland 

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Prior to the establishment of NNEdPro in Cambridge (2008), our founders worked extensively across the clinical and public health nutrition landscape in Scotland for several years, particularly in Medical Nutrition Education. A decade and half later, marking the 15th Anniversary of the NNEdPro Global Institute in 2023, a strategy office was established in Dundee, Scotland, to provide a base to establish Scottish operations, including strategic adaptation and development of the Mobile Teaching Kitchen International Initiative (MTK). Our activities in Scotland map to one of our Regional Networks, specifically covering UK and Ireland which currently comprises over 240 members, including over 30 professionals based in Scotland. By 2028 we intend to significantly increase the proportion of members in Scotland as well as make meaningful contributions to the goals of the Scottish Good Food Nation. Our objectives in Scotland are multiple, ranging from increasing stakeholder engagement and strategic collaboration to non-profit activities with positive as well as sustainable impacts on the community at large as well as vulnerable individuals at risk of food and nutrition insecurity.

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In September 2023, following an official launch event at The Rowett Institute in Aberdeen, the UK Mobile Teaching Kitchen formally started its Scottish journey in November 2023, through the first in a series of culinary nutrition education workshops in partnership with Dundee & Angus College, where participants learned about different food groups, how to read food labels, and how to make healthy swaps in the recipes and the nutrient profiles for each dish. This workshop led to the development of the first 'preceptors' group within the UK.

 

These preceptors would work with nutrition and culinary experts from the UK MTK team to subsequently train members of the public to become potential UK MTK champions. The Scottish MTK was awarded competitive funding in early 2024 from EIT Food (co-funded by the European Union), with which we implemented a highly successful proof of concept in two Dundee and Angus communities, establishing the feasibility of culinary nutrition innovation alongside food-service within Scottish cultural contexts, providing evidence on potential for sustainability, spread and scale. This led to a follow-on funding award (2024-2026) from the IMGO Foundation with added support from the Dundee and Angus region, which resulted in local embedding and advancement of community partnerships to co-create social value. The Scottish MTK has successfully delivered excellence in culinary nutrition education and food provision to over a thousand community members in just 2 years. This includes high-impact presence at the 2024 Dundee Food Festival, the 2026 Dundee Science Festival and dozens of menu-template-based public dining workshops and catering to several high-profile events, including the 2024 Dundee & Angus College of Sanctuary Dinner, the 2025 Summit Gala Dinner in Dundee, and several other ticketed culinary education and dining experience events. Evaluation and insights data from these events show consistently positive reception across Dundee, Angus, and Fife. In early 2026, marking its second anniversary in Scotland, the MTK successfully registered its very own bespoke Tartan officially approved by the Scottish Register of Tartans.

 

To accelerate impact potential in Scotland our flagship annual event in December 2025, the 11th International Summit on Food, Nutrition and Health, was held in Dundee and St Andrews, welcoming over 120 key opinion leaders in person and many more online from all over the world. During the Summit, we had the opportunity to exchange knowledge with professionals, students, community members, and government stakeholders from the region with diverse perspectives on gaps and opportunities across agriculture, food, nutrition, health, and sustainability across Scotland and beyond.

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As a satellite event, we held the first edition of the Global Youth Essay Competition in collaboration with St Leonards School. On this occasion, we welcomed 21 young students and leaders (ages 13 to 19) from several countries. Furthermore, immediately following the 11th Summit we held a special symposium at the St Andrews Medical School where we launched our new Global Nutrition Observatory for Medical Nutrition Education (GNOME).

 

SCOTTISH COLLABORATIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS

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Since establishing a presence in Scotland, over 2023-2026, we have developed strong relationships with key stakeholders across the regional landscape. We have signed Memoranda of Understanding around strategic partnership activities with the Rowett Institute, the James Hutton Institute, Dundee & Angus College, and the University of Dundee. Furthermore, we have signed Letters of Intent towards developing strategic collaboration with the Scottish Alliance for Food (SCAF) as well as the Angus Climate Hub. Additionally, in Dundee/Angus, we also collaborate with the Dundee International Womens Centre, Scrapantics, the Dundee Science Centre and the Arbroath District Church Centre, whereas in Fife we work closely with the University of St Andrews, St Leonards School, and St David’s Centre. Through these inter-organisational relationships, we co-design and deliver activities that support food and nutrition related community engagement, education, awareness, and capacity building across different population groups in Scotland.

 

These alliances have been instrumental in translating our knowledge and expertise into practice for population benefit. Over 2026-2028, leading into our 20th Anniversary, we intend to expand this collaborative network further to align with our mission and values for the benefit of Scotland, its communities, and its population at large, as well as developing evidence-informed Scottish models of change that can be adapted, spread and scaled across the UK and internationally.  See all our partners here.

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On 27th March 2026, the UK MTK received the second-place award at the Scottish Alliance for Food (SCAF) Taste & Tales Competition.