Food Thinkers: Concentrated corporate power in food systems and why it matters
28 January 4pm – 5.15pm
Professor Jennifer Clapp explores how growing corporate concentration has become a dominant trend in food systems, including the farm inputs sector.
www.citystgeorges.ac.uk/news-and-eve...

Graphic promoting the Behaviour Change Conference 2026. The top section includes the conference title “Behaviour Change Conference 2026: Health & Sustainability” and dates “17–19 June” with “Pre-conference day on 16 June” in smaller text. Below, large bold text reads “Last chance to submit your work!” and an orange banner states “Extended deadline: 7 January.” On the right, there is a circular photo of a speaker presenting at a podium in a lecture hall with flags and a screen in the background. Logos for UCL Centre for Behaviour Change and NOVA Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública appear at the bottom.

📢 Final call!
Submit your abstract or workshop proposal for the 2026 Behaviour Change Conference by 7 Jan (23:59 GMT).
🔗 www.ucl.ac.uk/behaviour-ch...
Thanks to everyone who’s submitted so far! We look forward to building an inspiring and dynamic programme for #BCConf2026!
@susanmichie.bsky.social

The latest Covid Inquiry evidence exposes the damage caused by poor government information sharing | Institute for Government Government departments must do more to prepare for the next crisis.

The latest Covid Inquiry evidence exposes the damage caused by poor government information sharing, the frailties in departmental relations and the potentially significant human and economic cost, says @shaina-sangha.bsky.social

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/covi...

The latest Covid Inquiry evidence exposes the damage caused by poor government information sharing | Institute for Government Government departments must do more to prepare for the next crisis.

The UK Covid Inquiry into the economic response to the pandemic has laid bare the frictions and frailties in departmental relations, with potentially significant human and economic cost www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/covi...

They are noticing the role that corporate power has in slowing progress and limiting the impact of so much good work already underway.

✨More on this to come in 2026...

🧩Most recently, we've been running (alongside The Food Foundation) the What Works Here Inquiries and seeing that citizens want a whole new way of thinking about food - that makes the healthy option the easy option and puts fairness at the heart of the system.

🍏The UK’s new junk food advertising restrictions have come into effect, bringing a welcome step towards reducing children’s exposure to unhealthy food marketing.

In the summer, they produced a report: Laying the Foundation, which spelt out a need for fairness to be at the heart of policymaking 📖https://foodfoundation.org.uk/news/why-fairness-must-be-heart-new-food-strategy

Watch this space for more from the citizens advising the government on #foodsystems 👀

Local food projects are nourishing communities, often on a shoestring 🌱

Food Ambassadors & Citizens Advisory Council members have been investigating the impact of food initiatives in:
📍Cornwall
📍York & North Yorkshire
📍Liverpool & Merseyside
📍North East

@ffc-commission.bsky.social

I am unable to contact you by email and suspect you may be subject to a major IT outage. Got licence issues perhaps linked to the same problem. Others likely affected. Will try again later this afternoon.

Unlock the Political Economy of Food 🌍
Advance your career!
📚 12-week course: Political Economy of Food
✅ Starts: 19 Jan 2026 | Hybrid (London/Online)
✅ Mondays 4–7pm | Apply by 5 Jan
Learn how politics, economics & power shape our food system.
👉 www.citystgeorges.ac.uk/prospective-...

🎓 Curious about a career in #FoodPolicy?
Explore the MSc Food Policy at City St George’s Postgraduate Open Evening.
📍 Clerkenwell Campus
🗓️ Wednesday 5 Nov | ⏰ 16:45–19:00 GMT
🔗 www.citystgeorges.ac.uk/news-and-eve...
#PostgradStudy @citystgeorges.bsky.social

Tag & share widely to Help shape the future of food research! 🌍🥗
Researchers in food, climate & health. EU, Spain, Poland, France & the Netherlands. We need your insights!
Take our 15-min survey to inform @wellcometrust’s funding strategy:
cityunilondon.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

We reviewed 312 studies on the UK 🇬🇧 food environment. Most focus on availability—less on sustainability & affordability.
More multi-domain research is needed!
🔗 doi.org/10.1016/j.cd...
#FoodEnvironment #PublicHealth #SustainableDiets

Please do share your views on the Food research agenda for UK and EU! (voices from outside the EU welcome too!)

📢 #FoodThinkers Webinar
🗓️ 22 Oct 2025 | 17:00–18:15 BST
🎙️ Prof. Charlotte Biltekoff (UC Davis)
Processed Food & the Politics of Communication
🔗 Register: www.citystgeorges.ac.uk/news-and-eve...
#FoodPolicy #ProcessedFood #PublicHealth @citystgeorges.bsky.social

Changes in energy content of menu items at out-of-home food outlets in England after calorie labelling policy implementation: a pre–post analysis (2021–2022) Introduction Eating from out-of-home food outlets (OHFO) is common and linked to poor dietary quality, weight gain and obesity. In response, England implemented mandatory calorie labelling regulations...

NEW PAPER: Implementation of mandatory calorie labelling in England was associated with a small (9kcal) overall reduction in mean energy content of items on the menus of large chain restaurants.

bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/3/2/...

In an analysis of more than 30,000 menu items we found:

Almost 55,000 children in Gaza acutely malnourished, Lancet study estimates Study shows clear link between Israeli restrictions on aid entering Gaza and levels of malnutrition among children Almost 55,000 children in Gaza are estimated to be acutely malnourished, far more than have so far been identified as victims of the potentially lethal condition, a study published in the Lancet, the respected international medical periodical, has revealed. The study, published on Wednesday, and led by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (Unrwa), offers a month-by-month breakdown through much of the two-year conflict, and shows for the first time a clear link between Israeli restrictions on supplies entering Gaza and levels of malnutrition among children. Continue reading...

Almost 55,000 children in Gaza acutely malnourished, Lancet study estimates

This looks like it could have been album cover art for a 1990s swing revival band

It was amazing to have Corinna Hawkes come and share her knowledge with our Masters in Food Policy students, Centre for Food Policy, @citystgeorges.bsky.social . She talked about the @fao.org food systems approach to the big challenges. Some great questions were asked by our students too!

🎉 Today is the International Day of Food Loss and Waste!
Excited to share 2 ZeroWasteScotland reports on food waste behaviours & meal planning
1) www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/resources/un...
2) www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/resources/us...

#FoodWaste #BehaviourChange #Sustainability #IDFLW

📢 New article alert!

Want to encourage more sustainable diets? Then don’t talk about sustainability. That’s the surprising takeaway from my research.

Read the full article for free here: theimpactmagazine.org/magaz… (page 22-23)

Same issue as on Twitter.

Forever chemicals in household objects linked to type 2 diabetes, scientists warn PFAS can disrupt metabolism and increase diabetes risk, study finds

PFAS, the forever chemicals, are a risk factor for several chronic diseases, such as obesity, liver disease, and diabetes as well as cancers, reproductive harm, and immune system suppression. Shouldn't they be banned and replaced by safe alternatives asap?
www.independent.co.uk/news/health/...

Map reveals where 'silent killer' wood heater smoke is worst Wood heaters are estimated to be responsible for more pollution-related deaths than all the cars on our roads. This national map shows which areas are affected the most.

For the good of public health, wood burning is another example of how nice it would be if we had governments with backbones

UK, US, Ethiopia see food price shocks from climate extremes,… Foods including potatoes, onions, lettuce, cabbage, fruit and rice hit by extreme weather that exceeded historical precedent, raising inflation and prices for consumers.

UK, US, Ethiopia see food price shocks from climate extremes, ‘raising concerns’ for child health eciu.net/media/press-...

What Wicked Tells Us About the Politics of Extreme Weather Yes, I mean the musical

Betcha didn't know Wicked was actually a #climatesecurity story. My latest substack explores how Oz's response to the "great drought" parallels what we see in our world from political leaders under strain from extreme weather.

‘Admit research waste to build trust,’ urges iconoclastic professor - Research Professional News Metascience 2025: John Ioannidis warns of rising levels of fraud and unusable results

‘Admit research waste to build trust’, urges iconoclastic professor.

John Ioannidis warns of rising levels of fraud and unusable results at #Metascience2025.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-worl...

YouTube video by Drawaqa Marine Conservation Trust Research Update: How to identify which hard corals are best adapted to high temperatures

New research update video from my marine biologist son Rob, who lives on a beautiful island in Fiji doing research into reef conservation.

youtube.com/watch?v=_K78...

Photo by JJ Jordan: https://www.pexels.com/photo/fork-and-vegetables-10714032/

Blog: What did you eat yesterday?🥣🥪🍝🍏🍫

Dr Kath Roberts, Senior Lecturer in Public Health Nutrition @york.ac.uk, explores the messy science of measuring what we eat ⬇️

fuseopenscienceblog.blogspot.com/2025/07/what...

@lakenutrition.bsky.social @thenhsa.bsky.social @scottylloyd.bsky.social #FuseBlog