THE two figures quoted by Dr Laura Wyness in her Agenda column ("It’s time to take the stigma out of red meat", The Herald, October 18) are interesting but do not necessarily support her assertion that the rise in the number of vegetarians and vegans may be contributing to worryingly low levels of iron in our diets. The number seems to have spiked at about 14 per cent in a very short time but this hardly accounts for the low iron intake of 54 per cent of 11 to 18 year old girls and 27 per cent of 19 to 64-year-old women. It rather suggests a wider problem with our collective diets.

Even as a vegetarian I do agree with her that Scottish farmers deserve all the plaudits they receive for the quality of their products and the sustainability of their practices. However, premium quality comes with a premium price tag and, more worryingly, middling quality products often come with a hefty price tag as well. It is not difficult to see the attraction of cheap, easily prepared processed foods.

If we are serious about improving the Scottish diet we need to stop telling each other what to eat and what not to eat and put more effort into solving the conundrum of how to have a balanced diet (of whatever kind) of quality produce that is actually affordable for all families.

Robin Irvine, Helensburgh.