In this BMJ paper, @martinwhite33.bsky.social and colleagues present a new MRC and NIHR framework that provides an integrated guide for using a natural experimental approach to evaluating population health and health system interventions. Read the paper at buff.ly/cEXl6km

(1/6) Takeaways can negatively impact the diet and diet-related health outcomes of local residents Local authority urban planners can deny planning for new takeaways in management zones around schools But what are the long term impacts of these exclusion zones? Read - buff.ly/S04RDSP

>10 years old but still as relevant - 10 tips for progressing from PhD to PI from @martinwhite33.bsky.social fuseopenscienceblog.blogspot.com/2012/05/from...

Karen Hofman and Susan Goldstein cal for G20 to implement health taxes to tackle the rising tide of NCDs. The numbers are staggering, the arguments compelling. theconversation.com/sugary-drink...

Our new research hub on the co-benefits for health of sustainable diets has just got itself a BlueSky account! Follow @thrivingfoodfuture.bsky.social for info about the project. Cool logo, eh?

Next week we welcome @jeanmadams.bsky.social to Oxford for our Wednesday seminar. Professor Adams will be talking about mandatory calorie labelling and what it reveals about public health policy making. Join in person @oxmartinschool.bsky.social or online 👇 www.futureoffood.ox.ac.uk/event/an-eva...

In other news, the weather is bueno and the jacarandas in bloom...

At #ECO2025 @jeanmadams.bsky.social and @harryrutter.bsky.social answering some difficult questions with vaguely unpopular but insightful answers. #systemsthinking @easoobesity.bsky.social

Webinar: Introducing the updated framework for using natural experiments to evaluate population health interventions Fri 23 May 12:00 - 13:15 Register at events.teams.microsoft.com/event/f01e66...

We are hiring! We're looking for two post-doc researchers to help us deliver a randomised controlled trial of group model building to address inequalities in diet in English local authorities. Two 3y posts, ideally starting in July. Closing date 4 May. Full details: www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/50905/

Researchers for the Mandala Consortium studied the environmental sustainability of inpatient paediatric menus, while assessing the potential to maintain/improve the nutritional value and the appeal of the dishes, and the related costs to the NHS. Watch - buff.ly/AGZDHIe

Written by the Unit’s Prof. @jeanmadams.bsky.social and published in PLOS Medicine, this perspective reflects on the importance of both life and social scientists utilising the NOVA system to investigate “the key questions of both which foods, and which aspects of food systems, cause the most harm”.

Just finished this 5m long drystone seating area on the banks of the loch. It will hold a single piece of oak across the three protruding stones to form a bench. Built by hand, no mortar, just time, attention, and stone. All materials sourced locally. #Scotland #Nature #Environment #Sustainable

A few thoughts on the UK government proposal to amend the Soft Drinks Industry Levy. TL;dr good on milk drinks, threshold change could backfire, missed opportunity to align with environmental policy on plant-based milks.

🎙️How can we make food that is good for health, societies, the planet and the economy? Governments need to develop food strategies that are comprehensive, that cross all government departments and really take a holistic view - says @martinwhite33.bsky.social @mrcepid.bsky.social pod.fo/e/2c3eac

Important investigative piece in @bmj.com Nice video explainer... Bans on junk food advertising in outdoor spaces derailed by industry lobbying www.bmj.com/content/389/...

You have to read this article. "The forces we are up against have made peace with mass death. They are treasonous to this world and its human and non-human inhabitants." By @naomiaklein.bsky.social and @astra.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...

After 21 years at my dream job, I’m very sad to announce my early retirement from the National Institutes of Health. My life’s work has been to scientifically study how our food environment affects what we eat, and how what we eat affects our physiology.

liberals show higher trust in most scientists. 5 theoretically grounded intervention strategies to improve conservatives’ trust in scientists were all unsuccessful, suggesting that trust in scientists reflects relatively stable attitudes www.nature.com/articles/s41...

We did an analysis for the House of Lords Committee on Food, Diet and Obesity to look at the overlap between foods high in salt, fat and sugar (HFSS) and ultra-processed (UPF). We extended the analysis and it is published today (open access): nutrition.bmj.com/content/earl...

Just came across this - Government's open access evaluation registry. Lots of recent key public health policies (e.g. SDIL) are not mentioned at all - so either they've not been evaluated (by gov) or not got into the registry yet. Clearly work in progress... civilservice.blog.gov.uk/2025/03/31/p...

Missed this yesterday: @henrydimbleby.bsky.social interview was spot on about both the economics and politics of our failing food system and remedies that may work. Hope Defra is listening as it prepares its forthcoming UK food strategy. Interview from 2:34:25 here: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Missed this yesterday: @henrydimbleby.bsky.social interview was spot on about both the economics and politics of our failing food system and remedies that may work. Hope Defra is listening as it prepares its forthcoming UK food strategy. Interview from 2:34:25 here: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Just came across this - Government's open access evaluation registry. Lots of recent key public health policies (e.g. SDIL) are not mentioned at all - so either they've not been evaluated (by gov) or not got into the registry yet. Clearly work in progress... civilservice.blog.gov.uk/2025/03/31/p...

How can windfall profits from introducing Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) in England be recouped by the government to help fund healthcare services? Join our webinar on MUP in May to find out. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/minimum-un...

Listen to our very own Prof. @martinwhite33.bsky.social as he shares "how we can make food that is good for health, societies, the planet and the economy?" ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

I participated in the @bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk Crossing Channels podcast series with a programme on the food system, diets and health. Interesting conversation with Jonathan Stieglizt, evolutionary anthropologist. Listen or read here: www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/posts/types/...

I participated in the @bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk Crossing Channels podcast series with a programme on the food system, diets and health. Interesting conversation with Jonathan Stieglizt, evolutionary anthropologist. Listen or read here: www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/posts/types/...

🆕"How can we make food that is good for health, societies, the planet and the economy?" Richard Westcott talks to experts Jonathan Stieglitz, IAST, & @martinwhite33.bsky.social, @mrcepid.bsky.social, in this month's #CrossingChannels #Podcast Listen: pod.fo/e/2c3eac

The 2025 issue 2 of the epigram newsletter is out now Reframing food and rethinking policy Transport and planetary health What is a healthy weight? Featured are @martinwhite33.bsky.social, @jeanmadams.bsky.social, Dr @cararuggiero.bsky.social, & @drmariespreckley.bsky.social buff.ly/PVk8mh2

This is an incredible opportunity to work on a unique study. If you're a postdoc researcher and have experience of stakeholder workshops (esp. group model building), systems thinking, and quantitative analysis - then one of these jobs could be for you. Come work with a great team in Cambridge!

On 28 March, the House of Lords debated the report, 'Recipe for health: a plan to fix our broken system' The Unit’s Prof. @martinwhite33.bsky.social was a special adviser to the enquiry & several of the speakers acknowledged his important contribution. Watch - buff.ly/oQlAeV6

Looks like essential reading:

Important piece of analysis for #foodpolicy #foodsystems

Are foods which are High in Fat, Sugar, Salt (HFSS) also Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs) - and vice versa? A very interesting article with implications for policies aimed at supporting healthier diets.

New paper from Viktorija Kesaite describing the overlap between UPF and foods high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS). Using data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey, we found 55.6% of UPF foods, 58.7% of energy from UPFs and 38.3% of food weight from UPF consumed were also HFSS.

Excellent work from @karremannancy.bsky.social PhD - great to see this published!

We did an analysis for the House of Lords Committee on Food, Diet and Obesity to look at the overlap between foods high in salt, fat and sugar (HFSS) and ultra-processed (UPF). We extended the analysis and it is published today (open access): nutrition.bmj.com/content/earl...

Cambridge University is looking for 2 Assistant Professors in Public Policy to work in the Faculty of Human, Social, & Political Science, starting August 2025. Scholars with research & teaching experience in public policy are encouraged to apply by 10 March 2025. www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/50248/

A generation or more ago, the farmer who tends the land surrounding our home planted this majestic line of willows following the natural arc of the Cheney Water. They're a landmark, a guide and an extraordinary habitat alongside the reed strewn chalk steam - one that I've captured many times on film

A generation or more ago, the farmer who tends the land surrounding our home planted this majestic line of willows following the natural arc of the Cheney Water. They're a landmark, a guide and an extraordinary habitat alongside the reed strewn chalk steam - one that I've captured many times on film

In our podcast, we 'unpack the evidence' with committee chair, Baroness Walmsley. Get an insight into a Lords inquiry and hear from those who spoke to the committee, including @henrydimbleby.bsky.social, @foodfoundation.bsky.social and Dr Chris van Tulleken. 🎧 www.parliament.uk/business/lor...

This issue is packed with interesting stuff (and not saying that because I have a v short commentary in it!). There's papers on how food environments are changing, food policy and UPFs, the role of corporations etc. Unfortunately, few papers are open access ☹️...

Congratulations to Prof. David Ogilvie (@dbogilvie.bsky.social) and Prof. Martin White (@martinwhite33.bsky.social) for their involvement in the development of a new framework for the conduct and use of natural experimental evaluations.

Pleased to have contributed to writing team for this, and to making case for #qual methods to strengthen NE evaluations

The forthcoming UK Food Strategy is promising to take a 'systems approach'...but what does that actually mean in practice? Here's one way it can be done: ⬇️ a #foodsystems #foodpolicy 🧵 about how we applied systems thinking methods to inform development of a Food & Nutrition Strategy for Jersey🏝️...

The Government of Jersey was refreshing its Food & Nutrition strategy. It commissioned our University of Cambridge team, led by @martinwhite33.bsky.social, to work w/ stakeholders to develop an improved understanding of systemic drivers of problematic #foodsystems outcomes on the Island. 1/

Immensely proud of the new MRC/NIHR guidance on Natural Experiments published today. Summary version here: www.bmj.com/content/388/... Long version is here: www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk/phr/JTYW6582 And a short blog here: arc-w.nihr.ac.uk/news/new-fra... A terrific team effort!

Immensely proud of the new MRC/NIHR guidance on Natural Experiments published today. Summary version here: www.bmj.com/content/388/... Long version is here: www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk/phr/JTYW6582 And a short blog here: arc-w.nihr.ac.uk/news/new-fra... A terrific team effort!

A new framework for the conduct and use of natural experimental evaluations has been published to support health researchers and decision makers. www.gla.ac.uk/schools/heal...