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Food SIG

The Food Special Interest Group (SIG) was established as a forum for public health professionals from all sectors to provide support and advocate for the importance of healthy and sustainable food systems within public health practice.

Contact

The Food SIG reports to the Faculty's Health Improvement Committee and is chaired by Kristin Bash; Kath Roberts serves as vice-chair. 

Join the Food SIG

FPH members can join this SIG by logging into their FPH members’ portal account, selecting the ‘Committees/SIGs’ button and choosing the correct SIG. You will then be asked to provide a few details, following which your application will be automatically approved. Further details on FPH membership are available here.

General vision

The Food SIG aims to be a dynamic community of public health professionals with expertise in all areas of the food system that influence health, to support the work of the Faculty in all areas related to food policy, and to provide continued learning, advocacy,  and collaborative working on food policy in the UK. The focus will include policy related to public health nutrition but will concentrate efforts on other food policy areas that impact the health of our population.

Long-term (3-year) strategic aims

  1. To build skills and knowledge around food systems and food policy within the public health workforce
  2. To provide links between local, regional, and national food policy; to offer a central point in the system for collaboration and shared learning on policy, regulations, and good practice.
  3. To be an effective advocate for good public health food policy across all levels of government

Strategic aims for 2024

  1. Skilling up and building resources and evidence base - To provide expertise and resources for public health professionals, trainees, practitioners, and local and national partners who engage with food-related issues.
  2. Advocacy and influence - To use public health expertise to advocate for evidence-based food policy at all levels through targeted training, advocacy, and collaboration activities.
  3. Contribution to Faculty’s Climate and Health Strategy - To advance understanding and role of sustainable diets within the Climate Crisis and wider sustainability issues.

Core topic areas of focus for 2024-25

  • Food Security and resilience – National, local, and household levels
  • Sustainable Diets – Sustainable Food Systems (including global perspective)
  • Food Policy as Prevention across the life course
  • Healthy food environments – Commercial Determinants & Ultra-processed foods and Food in schools

Additional Food SIG Resources 

SIG Workplan 

Activity: Respond to government, NICE and other consultations as appropriate and where we have capacity

Outcome: Evidence of response consultations as appropriate 

Target date: Ongoing and as needed on ad-hoc basis

Named lead: All SIG members 

Progress to date: Provide oral evidence with written back-up to House of Lords Food, Diet & Obesity Committee (7 March 2024)

Outputs: As-needed on ad-hoc basis.

 

Activity: Promote diversity of individuals and views in all aspects of Food SIG work.  

Outcome: 

  • Demonstrable consideration and support of diversity within all Food SIG work.
  • Food policy and equity in the UK – FPH position statement.  

Target date: Ongoing

Named lead: Chair and TBC

Progress to date: 

Outputs: 

 

Activity: Promote HIC activities using the bulletin, blog posts, twitter and public health today

Outcome: Increased awareness of Food SIG activities

Target date: Ongoing 

Named lead: All SIG members

Progress to date: 

  • Updates in FPH bulletin of activities
  • Opinion/views journal paper on recommendations for food policy & public health for new government
  • Updates at HIC and other FPH meetings

Outputs: Update FPH with news of any new papers, projects, etc. for inclusion in newsletter.

 

Activity: Encourage and support further joint working and coalitions with other key organisations nationally and locally on key HIC priorities as appropriate.

Outcome: Evidence of joint working with other key PH-related organisations. 

Target date: Ongoing

Named lead: All SIG members

Progress to date: 

  • FPH webinar event with SD and Poverty SIGs related to sustainable, accessible diets. Planning stalled.
  • FPH webinar event on SDIL – with Academic PH SIG, Commercial Determinants SIG. Planning underway.

Outputs: 

 

Activity: Build membership of Food SIG by 25% over Jan 2024 baseline within year.

Outcome: Membership list to include 70 members by 01 January 2025. 

Target date: 31 December 2024

Named lead: All SIG members

Progress to date: 

Outputs: 

 

Activity: Create resources for public health professionals on a range of issues related to food systems and population health

Outcome: 

  • Increased knowledge of food policy issues among FPH members and the wider public health community. 
  • Impact of resources will be measured through feedback solicited from those who use them.

Target date: 31 December 2024

Named lead: 

Progress to date: 

Topics for webinars/resources:

  • SDIL - Recorded webinar on SDIL and accompanying fact sheet.
  • Sustainable Diet - Recorded webinar on sustainable diet policy at local level and accompanying fact sheet.
  • Resilient food systems & emergency planning – position statement, webinar and resource sheet
  • Local planning & hot food takeaways -

Potential position papers for 2024:

  • Food system resilience
  • Equitable UK food policy
  • Food Policy & Long-term conditions/Prevention strategy
  • PH Food Policy recommendations for new government
  • Global food policy (specifics TBD)
  • Industrial farming – impacts on population health

Outputs: 

 

Activity: Invite speakers on specialised topics to Food SIG meetings to increase membership expertise

Outcome: 

  • Improved knowledge of selected food policy topics related to expertise of invited guest speakers.
  • Increased engagement with Food SIG meetings based on interest in speakers’ areas of expertise.  

Target date: 

Named lead: 

Progress to date: 

Outputs: 

 

Activity: Co-produce advocacy letters, briefing or position papers with partner organisations

Outcome: TBC through consultation with SIG members at next meeting.

Target date: 

Named lead: 

Progress to date: Potential collaboration with other PH organisations regarding recommendations on food policy for new government

Outputs: COMPLETE 2023-24

 

Activity: Continue work of the FPH Sustainable Diet Working Party as important and expert voice in sustainable diet strategy/policy

Outcome: 

  • Produce position papers to define and promote Faculty position on sustainable healthy diets
  • Collaborate with partner organisations on projects related to advancing sustainable diets

Target date: 

Named lead: 

Progress to date: TBC

Outputs: 

 

Activity: Host training placement for PH registrar 

Outcome: Collaborate with partner organisation to host a training placement for a PH registrar.  

Target date: Ongoing

Named lead: Kristin Bash

Progress to date: 

Proposal for registrar training placement with OHA drafted and submitted to Education team – 9 June 2023.

**Proposal accepted and posted by FPH as active placement opportunity (5 Sept 2023)

**Actively seeking registrar for placement (December 2023)

Outputs: 

Placement hosted through Food SIG within partner organisation (OHA)

Placement not yet filled

 

Activity: Support ongoing research into areas of food policy

Outcome: Food SIG appointed as advisory body for large research projects related to key Food SIG objectives. 

Target date: Ongoing

Named lead: Chair, Vice-chair, All members

Progress to date: 

  • ‘Fair Food Futures’ – (NIHR151034) - What are the most beneficial models used by community food assets to prevent the need for emergency food aid? A longitudinal qualitative study conducted in two multi-cultural populations in the North and South of England. – Project is fully funded, registered with NIHR, and initial work underway.   
  • NEON Steering Committee - Food SIG agreed to collaborate with NEON-Medway steering committee team. This research project involves addressing food insecurity and poverty in Medway using the PLA methodology and assessing the impact through an interrupted time series study.  UPDATE April 2024 – project still moving ahead with initial meeting being scheduled.

Outputs: 

  • Presentation on progress to Food SIG March 2024
  • Update to Food SIG June 2024

Previous webinar recordings

The UK Soft Drinks Industry Levy: Reflections from Academia and Policy 

Access Professor Martin White's slide deck here

The Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) in the UK is undoubtedly one of the most significant pieces of public health legislation passed in recent times. During this webinar, we heard from Professor Martin White from the University of Cambridge, one of the leading academics in the development of the evidence base to support the development, implementation, and evaluation of the SDIL; and Victoria Targett, from OHID, who was at the forefront of Public Health England’s policy work at the time of the development of the SDIL. 

This webinar was jointly hosted by the Food and FPH Academic Public Health and SIGs on 30 September 2024.

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