Nourishing Britain Report
‘Nourishing Britain: A Political Manual for Improving the Nation’s Health’ interviews several senior UK politicians to share insights on how the government can learn from previous experiences and ensure impactful food policy action.
The recent report draws on interviews with former prime ministers, health secretaries, and senior politicians to highlight how and why previous food policies have failed in the past and offers comprehensive guidance for the government to make meaningful and impactful food policy change.
The report is published with support from Nesta and Impact on Urban Health and authored by former government food policy advisor Henry Dimbleby, and public health specialist, Dr Dolly van Tulleken.
It identifies four barriers faced by previous governments when they tried to tackle food-related ill health, including:
- Media and politician opposition, and the ‘nanny-state’ argument
- Conflicts of interest and industry lobbying
- The slow rise of obesity not necessitating impactful media coverage or urgency
- UK food systems sitting under multiple government departments, causing inconsistencies and a lack of collaboration when implementing changes
Following this, the report highlights four key elements needed for successful food policy change. It notes the need to build a compelling evidence-backed argument that holds movement both inside and outside government. It also notes that to implement food and industry policies successfully, the prime minister must treat it as priority.
It is hoped through these changes, the government can tackle the main issues facing the health and food sector, including rising obesity rates.
The full report can be read on the Nesta website.
