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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 2025

  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-informed food policy at all levels through targeted training, advocacy, and collaboration activities. 

Target Outputs for 2025

  1. Sustainable and Equitable Food Provision Lunchtime webinar (with Poverty & SD SIGS) – July 2025
  2. Briefing & recommendation paper for Government Food Strategy – TBD, Reactive to target time of publication
  3. Specialist speaker to present at each quarterly meeting – Jan, April, July, October 
  4. Diversity and Equality Food SIG statement – October 2025
  5. Support Specialist Training post with OHA – March-July 2025 (COMPLETE – looking to recruit second registrar)
  6. Joint project with SD SIG & Climate and Health Committee (TBD)
  7. Joint work with Healthy Places SIG regarding Community Growing (TBD) – Joint meeting scheduled for June 2025 
  8. Respond to food-related consultation requests on behalf of FPH (ad-hoc basis)

Additional Food SIG Resources 

Webinar recordings

Faculty members can visit the FPH Members Portal to watch webinar recordings.

SIG Workplan 

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. 

Target date: 31 December 2025

Named lead: 

Progress to date: 

  • Topics for webinars/resources: Sustainable, equitable food provision – Planning meeting Fri 17th Jan – planning ongoing
  • Survey to identify additional topics – April 

Outputs: Sustainable, equitable food provision – Webinar June 2025

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: 

  • Create FPH position statements to support rapid consultation requests, and provide a baseline position for the Faculty on a range of PH food policy issues/topics. SURVEY sent to members to prioritise aras of focus and identify working group members (April 2025).
  • National Food Strategy (new) – provide rapid response to publication of new national food strategy. Working group established to prepare for release.  
  • Ad-hoc consultation responses.

Outputs: 

  • Identify priority topics for focus (n=5)
  • Establish working groups
  • Position statements published
  • Establish working group to prepare for rapid response
  • Provide Faculty response at time of publication. 

Activity: Promote diversity of individuals and views in all aspects of Food SIG work. The Food SIG functions with an equalities mindset, promoting diversity of individuals and views and advocates for policy that tackles inequalities and doesn’t risk the widening of inequalities. 

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: Set meeting to explore and develop these principles and Food SIG position statement more thoroughly.

Outputs: Outstanding objective – area of priority for 2025 planning. 

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: TBC

Progress to date: TBC

Outputs: TBC

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: 

  1. Quarterly meetings
  2. Ad-hoc lunch & learn TBD based on interest

Named lead: TBC

Progress to date: 

Quarterly meetings:

  • January 2025 – Myrtle Gregory, Eating Better – “We need to talk about industrial livestock production’
  • April 2025 – Mhairi Brown, Head of Food Futures, Food Farming & Countryside Commission “The Food Conversation”
  • July 2025 –
  • October 2025 – 

Outputs: TBC

Activity: Co-produce advocacy letters, briefing or position papers with partner organisations (FPH-based or external partners)

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

Target date: 

  • 31 March
  • 30 June
  • 30 September
  • 31 December 

Named lead: TBC

Progress to date: 

  1. Joint work (TBD) with Healthy Places SIG related to Community Growing – TBD
  2. Joint work (TBD) with Climate & Health Committee re: sustainable diets

Outputs: TBC

 

Activity: Host training placements for PH registrars

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

Target date: Ongoing

Named lead: Kristin Bash

Progress to date: 

  1. OHA Registrar Placement – FILLED March – July 2025
  2. Other placements - TBD

Outputs: Placement hosted through Food SIG within partner organisation (OHA)

 

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. 
  • Academic project teams to provide updates to Food SIG only and receive feedback where necessary (i.e., no actions for SIG members).

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. Ongoing. Next Update Presentation – July 2025 Quarterly meeting

Outputs: Presentation on progress to Food SIG April 2025

Activity: Build membership and network maturity of Food SIG. 

Outcome: Increase membership list by 20% 

Target date: 31 December 2025

Named lead: All SIG members

Progress to date: TBC

Outputs: TBC

 

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