As Scotland prepares for its first FIFA World Cup appearance since 1998, a Perthshire-based butcher is rallying for a change in US food regulations that have kept the nation's iconic dish off American menus for decades. Simon Howie Butchers has launched a campaign to “make haggis legal again” (MHLA, for those who prefer acronyms), targeting the 1979 ban on sheep lung, a key ingredient in traditional haggis.
Haggis, a savoury pudding made from sheep's heart, liver, and lungs, minced with onions, oatmeal, and spices, is traditionally encased in the animal's stomach. While the 2001 Larousse Gastronomique notes that “its description is not immediately appealing,” advocates insist it is a delicious staple of Scottish cuisine. The US Department of Agriculture has prohibited the import of haggis since 1979, citing concerns over the consumption of offal, particularly sheep lung, which can constitute up to 15 percent of the recipe.
World Cup Catalyst
The campaign gains urgency as Scotland's national team heads to the World Cup this summer—the first time in 27 years. Simon Howie Butchers is supplying fans with flags reading “no haggis, no party” and has enlisted Scottish broadcaster Gordon Smart to front the effort. In a statement, Simon Howie said: “With such warmth and long-standing affinity between Americans and Scots, we’re appealing to the USA to embrace this delicious delicacy and ‘make haggis legal again’.”
The campaign's Instagram post declares: “For the first time in a generation, the Tartan Army are heading to the world stage. But we’ve got a problem: a big one... Our national dish, haggis, banned in the US right when it matters the most. This isn’t just tradition being ignored – it's regulation gone mad.”
The push comes amid broader debates about US food import policies and the cultural significance of national dishes. Scottish-American comedian Craig Ferguson has famously described haggis as “a hotdog with a bad publicist,” a quip the campaign hopes will soften American resistance.
While the ban has persisted for over four decades, the World Cup provides a fresh platform for Scottish producers to lobby for change. The US market represents a significant opportunity for Scottish exporters, and the campaign taps into a sense of cultural pride as Scotland returns to global sporting attention.
Critics of the ban point out that other foods with questionable nutritional profiles, such as Mountain Dew, remain widely available in the US, highlighting what they see as regulatory inconsistency. The campaign also resonates with broader European discussions about food sovereignty and the protection of traditional recipes, as seen in debates over UK-EU trade deals and agricultural standards.
Whether the US will lift the ban remains uncertain, but the campaign has already drawn attention from Scottish diaspora communities and food enthusiasts across Europe. For now, Scottish fans heading to the World Cup will have to leave their haggis at home—unless the USDA changes its mind.
