Obesity rates have doubled in the last 30 years. This stems from our food environment: the food that’s available, affordable and promoted to us. In our latest report, we look at how health targets for large out-of-home food businesses could help to improve health. ⤵️

Yesterday I gave evidence to the health and social care committee on healthy food (on behalf of @nestauk.bsky.social) 🔑My KEY message: we need the HIGH impact policies to tackle obesity crisis that focus on business incentives over individual responsibility Watch it 👉https://tinyurl.com/76xb3z7w

📆 Next month we're running a policy conference - Policy Live! On health 🩺 - we're excited to announce that @rthonwesstreeting.bsky.social will be joining us. And we'll be running events on healthy diets/obesity, neighbourhood health and AI. Sign up here 👉 bit.ly/4m0j4fx

✍️ New article: Death rates from cardiovascular disease have fallen dramatically — what were the breakthroughs behind this? (link in 🧵 )

Earlier this month, the govt published the 10yr health plan. A 'moonshot to end the obesity epidemic' was launched. 🚀 BUT.. what do the public actually think about this? We did some work (pre 10 year plan announcement) with @moreincommonuk.bsky.social on this. More below 👇 🧵1/6

Join me & this lovely lot tomorrow to talk about prevention within the 10 year health plan 👇

Action to tackle obesity in the 10-Year Health Plan can't come soon enough. @nestauk.bsky.social's latest analysis outlines that obesity and excess weight cost the UK economy ~£31bn in lost productivity. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

It's a busy news week at Nesta!... We've also published new findings on costs of obesity to the economy, society, & the NHS 💰

Excited to see! It's not everyday you help get a policy over the line... Government has adopted healthy food standard - based on a policy developed by Nesta. It'll see food businesses encouraged to get healthier food on our shelves and in our diets. Read more👉https://tinyurl.com/43fnpcm5

We’ve worked up this piece explaining all about what preventing ill health actually means.. give it a read! 👇

We buy 88% of our calories from supermarkets, making them critical partners when it comes to improving our diets. Check out @nestauk.bsky.social's latest analysis which shows which small changes to our weekly shop could, over time, bring down obesity rates.

I've really loved coming to work at Nesta. Partly because it made me check my ways of working and getting 'stuff' done, after time in govt. Being more creative to problem solving. Our work fast & iterate approach is key... Read more about that below 👇

It's the hot topic - UPFs! We looked into whether thats a better definition of health or not... we found its much of a muchness. Our current definitions of healthy probably have it covered, while we should ofc see how the science develops on UPF too.

The debate around UPF has driven welcome consumer awareness of the unhealthiness of the food that's marketed and promoted to us everyday. A new report from @nestauk.bsky.social asks: should we regulate UPF? TL;DR - no. Most unhealthy UPF is already captured in existing legislation.

Major new report out today making the case for overcoming the barriers and inefficiencies that currently delay the safe and secure use of health data in the UK to improve lives - the Sudlow review www.hdruk.ac.uk/helping-with...

Alcohol is a significant but overlooked part of our diets -empty calories with big health impacts. Thanks to evidence from Scotland we know MUP ⬇️ consumption. It's one policy with co-benefits for alcohol harm and obesity. Thanks @nestauk.bsky.social for new research & blog 👇

I'm often asked about the 'hidden' calories we drink. We had a look👉 shorturl.at/54rJl c5% of daily calories comes from booze. Similar to medium glass of wine. Cutting this down would improve our diets & wider health The policies are already known - intro MUP in England, as we saw in Scot & Wales.

Reducing obesity is urgent and achievable. We need to be bold and brave. I hope that all party manifestos will prioritise obesity as a critical responsibility for the First Minister, committing to halve the disparity in healthy life expectancy between Wales’ richest and poorest regions by 2030

What a stellar line-up for the food strategy! But I would say that given I'm thrilled to see Nesta included too... :) 👉 www.gov.uk/government/n...

Last year we published a blueprint for halving obesity in the UK - drawing upon a huge evidence base & synthesising research to make useful and accurate policy recommendations. Nesta's Kate Tudor reflects on the challenges of balancing rigorous methodology with the need to create real-world impact.

Involving the food industry will be key to improving the health of the nation. So how should companies measure and set targets for the healthiness of their products? In a new blog, our healthy life team outlines the measures that should be adopted and why they're important: bit.ly/3FqzwFn

Overdiagnosis of mental disorders is making headlines again, this time thanks to Wes Streeting. But it is true? (thread) www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

100%! People operate within structures and systems that exist. It's rare ppl set out with the purpose to do a bad job - often the environment they operate within doesn't allow better performance.

🚨Happening now. Listen in here 👉 www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6v6...

Lovely post from Ravi, covering lots of our work! Key things: 1️⃣You can't solve obesity by telling ppl to diet more. It doesn't work 2️⃣You need small sustained changes that don't take joy out of food 3️⃣It's not about nannying. No one wants higher taxes to pay for issues that could have been prevented

📢 New blog post 📢 💼Why are working class applicants less likely to be hired? blogs.ucl.ac.uk/cepeo/2025/0... Following on from our @nuffieldfoundation.org report today’s blog post focuses on why working class young people (yp) are less likely to be offered jobs than their more advantaged peers

📆 EVENT: On Tuesday we're excited to be talking about Amsterdam's healthy weight programme and what we can learn from it... come join us in-person at Nesta offices or online! Sign up here 👉 www.nesta.org.uk/event/what-c...

Fabulous blog from my colleague Kate explaining why and how we at @nestauk.bsky.social developed a blueprint for halving obesity… read here 👉 www.nesta.org.uk/blog/creatin...

Today is World Obesity Day 🌏 In England, almost two thirds of people are living with excess weight or obesity. Our research found that a majority of people want to lose weight and they endorse government interventions that could help - even across political divides:

We’re catching up on only connect & just watched a semi final. I got the Heathrow terminal question on the first clue. Probs proudest moment to date… 🧐

Research by @uniofeastanglia.bsky.social has shed a harsh light on Europe's declining life expectancy - and the need for bold public health initiatives. In England, the number of years people live in good health is starkly different across regions. We look at the steps the government could take:

Life expectancy is now drifting in the wrong direction... We've dug into healthy life expectancy (or time spent without illness). There is an 18 year gap between local areas. And you can't change that without acting on chronic conditions (MSK, obesity..) 👇 www.nesta.org.uk/blog/what-wi...

Couldn't agree more with this piece! ‘Don’t tell me your priorities. Show me where you spend your money and I’ll tell you what they are’ is a great quote - driving home that the act of spending so little on prevention tell us all where this falls within health priorities

ICYMI: Our new paper on the impact of the UK Soft Drinks Industry Levy is out. 19 months after implementation, we found that households purchased 7.5g less sugar from soft drinks compared to expected - equivalent to a 2.6% reduction. nutrition.bmj.com/content/earl...

May be of interest to civil servant pals… esp from the Covid period 👀

🆕 Gov’t has responded to the House of Lords Food, Diet and Obesity report ✍ They acknowledge reducing obesity 'will require reshaping the food environment that has caused the rise in obesity.' 😪 Unacceptably, the response fails to accept any of the new recommendations www.gov.uk/government/p...

🚀 We've just launched our latest Broken Plate report! It highlights the fact too many people are struggling to access healthy food and much of the food marketed to us is damaging our health and the planet. Find out more: ➡️ bit.ly/3PR0Gal #BrokenPlate

Great launch of the latest broken plate report from @foodfoundation.bsky.social 👏🏻 calling for better access to healthy food for all! (Sorry - couldn’t resist the cringey Big Ben photo!)

A new substack by Nesta CEO @raviguru.bsky.social is out today 🗞️ In this edition, Ravi writes about coherence in government and policy-making - and how to do strategy well. There's also a bit about Donald Trump, the Ministry of Defence and golf courses in Cyprus. Free to subscribe ⬇️

It's not finished. This is just the outline. But I wrote about why North England is poor. Which it really really is. tomforth.co.uk/whynorthengl...

Terrific piece by @jburnmurdoch.bsky.social on what I think is a real (and alarming) trend: the decline of face-to-fact interaction.

We first made this point in 2022, citing work by @martinwhite33.bsky.social and @dollyvantulleken.bsky.social and arguing that the longstanding focus on individual responsibility for healthy weight has been at the expense of the required national action. 2/ www.health.org.uk/reports-and-...

Politicians shouldn't be wary of regulating the food industry to help tackle obesity - the public backs government action. Our latest research found that a majority of people want to lose weight and endorse government interventions - even across political divides.

Spotted piece of good news on BBC this morning - the proportion of cancers being diagnosed at stage 1 and 2 is the highest it's ever been - 58.7%. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... The ambition is to get to 75% by 2028 so still some way to go. And speed of treatment post diagnosis is also critical.

Worth pointing out, too, that Japan - where life expectancy is much higher than in Britain - spends a similar amount overall on healthcare. The difference is that Japan spends a third more on community care, and double the amount on medical goods and equipment

NEW: Is the NHS still good value for money? Billions of pounds are being ploughed into Britain’s health service — with little noticeable improvement in health since 2019. Critics say the NHS has become bloated and inefficient. Is it? @thetimes.com 🔗 www.thetimes.com/article/1130... 1/7

This govt has commited to halving the health gap. But (hot take!) it's gonna be hard & need some bold action. New analysis on whats happening with healthy life expentancy (HLE)👇 (1 of 7)

And a v old ICYMI: Our attempt at unpacking #ROI of some #publichealth interventions relevant to #localgov - be clear on what's in the 'R' healthinnovationnetwork.com/wp-content/u...

A remarkable stat: Heidi Alexander’s appointment as Transport Secretary means the cabinet is now 100% state-educated for the first time in history.