News, Media & BLOGS

Department for Education Open Consultation: Revised Standards for food in schools

Let's talk about food not nutrients 

Seeing past the labels - Foodswitch app launched

Listen to my podcast about the UK Responsibility Deal given at the recent 20th European Congress on Obesity

Government obesity adviser calls for action on sugary drinks The Guardian

Yes, I work with the food industry but I doubt they see me as a friend The Guardian - Comment is free 

Nutritional labelling on menus helps cut the calories we buy The Conversation

I am a nutrition scientist and my research interests are focused on how what we eat affects the risk of gaining weight or becoming obese and the interventions that might be effective to help people lose weight or reduce the risk of obesity-related diseases. I have also conducted a series of randomised controlled trials to study the impact of dietary changes on the risk factors for cardiovascular disease. In general, this work highlights that body weight is a more important risk factor for ill-health than differences in the nutritional composition of the diet. I have strong scientific collaborations with the Behaviour and Health Research unit at the University of Cambridge and the MRC Human Nutrition Research unit, where I was a Programme Leader for many years.

I am also very interested in how scientific evidence on diet is translated into policy and practice, by government, industry, the public health community and the media. I was the science advisor for the Foresight obesity report and subsequently chaired the cross-government Expert Advisory Group on obesity and the Responsibility Deal Food Network. I am now a member of the Public Health England Obesity Programme Board and one of the Chairs of the NICE Public Health Advisory Committees. I am actively involved in a number of events and media projects to engage the public in issues relating to diet and health.  In 2008 I was awarded an OBE for services to public health.