Join us for a conference reviewing the science and scope for new policy approaches to address the harmful impacts of ultra-processed foods
Register to attend online (overseas participants) or in-person using the button on this page
The concept of ‘ultra-processed’ food is a shorthand to identify a range of foods based on the degree and purpose of their industrial processing, which have been linked to an increased risk of weight gain and chronic diseases. Industrial processing in ultra-processed foods often disrupts the original food matrix and involves a large use of additives to increase shelf life, palatability, texture, visual appeal and other characteristics that typically play a role in consumer choices and habits. Ultra-processed foods are often heavily branded and marketed to create brand loyalty and increase consumption, with a major focus on young consumers and families with children. Ultra-processed foods are typically highly standardised and produced on a large scale at a low cost, with high profit margins that fuel intense marketing for their promotion and sale in a wide range of markets, causing a steady increase in their consumption in countries at all levels of income. Evidence of the contribution of ultra-processed foods to increasing body weight, obesity and chronic diseases has piled up from observational studies and at least one trial. Yet, governments have been struggling to devise and implement effective policy approaches to address the detrimental health impacts of ultra-processed foods. However, attempts to regulate or tax these foods in order to rebalance dietary patterns towards an increased consumption of minimally processed foods and away from ultra-processed foods have begun to emerge, amid major policy challenges.
Agenda
09.30 – Registration
10.00 – Welcome remarks (Prof. Franco Sassi, Imperial College London; Prof. Peter Todd, Imperial College Business School; Sheila Dillon, Chair)
10.15 – Keynote: The state of the science on ultra-processed foods (Dr. Kevin Hall, NIH & Dr. Mathilde Touvier, Inserm)
11.00 – Break
11.20 – Keynote: The rise of ultra-processed foods in the global nutrition policy agenda (Dr. Francesco Branca, WHO)
11.45 – Country experiences of policy innovation in UPF (TBC)
12.15 – Lunch
13.15 – Panel: The scope for policy innovation (Dr. Phillip Baker, University of Sydney; Prof. Emma Boyland, University of Liverpool; Dr. Eszter Vamos, Imperial College London)
14.00 – Coffee
14.15 – Panel: Overcoming barriers to the implementation of effective policies on UPFs (Dr. Chris van Tulleken, UCL; Prof. Amandine Garde, University of Liverpool)
15.15 – House of Lords’ Food, Diet & Obesity Select Committee report (Baroness Walmsley, House of Lords)
15.40 – Conclusions and way forward (TBC)
16.00 – Meeting close