UKRI and Sciencewise 12-month public dialogue on UPFs

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Sciencewise (a programme funded by the UK Government to provide assistance to policy-makers) are commissioning a 12-month public dialogue on UPFs. Kate Halliwell, FDF’s Chief Scientific Officer, will join the Oversight group for the project which will convene in January. The Oversight group will comment on design of the dialogue process, materials and expert input that will be provided for participants, formulation of outputs and interim and final reports. The dialogue will aim to build on previous work and the findings will be used to inform future research priorities and be shared with those developing food and dietary health policy.

As preliminary research, UKRI and Sciencewise have published an evidence review on public perceptions of ultra-processed foods. The paper reviewed existing consumer surveys and studies on UPF and health to identify key themes that could be further explored.