A great start to 2026! Here’s an article from @shaniekparks.bsky.social summarising her fascinating research on digital communication and young people’s diets

Recently seen a few companies on Instagram citing our research as a basis to sell fancy honey for treatment during cold season. A reminder our results showed normal honey can support management of URTI symptoms; you don’t need ‘designer’ honey ebm.bmj.com/content/26/2... @oxprimarycare.bsky.social

ahem

Can we trust the science of Nutrition? Christina Vogel joined Brian Cox, Giles Yeo MBE, Saliha Mahmood Ahmed, and Nita Forouhi, to explore the complex topic of nutrition on the #AQuestionofScience podcast. Listen: www.lnk.to/AQOSNutrition Or watch: lnkd.in/ezJBhiY3

📣New paper led by Dr Ru Jia! We conducted an RCT on an online supermarket to assess the effects of brand-matched alcoholic & NoLo adverts on drink selections Exposure to adverts for brand-matched NoLos increased brand recall, but inconclusive impact on alcohol selection doi.org/10.1111/add....

I had a chat with Alisha Wainwright for a Wellcome Trust podcast about the challenges of achieving sustainable diets and their potential for health benefits. It was fun. If you listen to podcasts then you could listen to this podcast.

Excited to share that our research group is advertising 2 DPhil projects for 2026 entry. We’d love to hear from prospective applicants! shorturl.at/I6SrW *FUNDED* shorturl.at/lh4tB *Successful apps eligible for uni funding* @hannahforde.bsky.social @ashakaur.bsky.social @petescarbs.bsky.social

The first paper from the COPPER project! Great work from @hannahforde.bsky.social who led deliberative forums exploring public views on food taxes and subsidies to make healthy & sustainable food more affordable

First paper published from our COPPER project! We went to Glasgow and Bridlington (my home town!) to find out what the public supports with regard to taxes and subsidies in the food system. Great work led by the excellent @hannahforde.bsky.social

We ran deliberative forums in Glasgow & Bridlington all about food subsidies & taxes to make healthy & sustainable food more affordable. Read our findings in our latest article! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... @oxprimarycare.bsky.social

Here's @kevinh-phd.bsky.social on leaving NIH due to pressure for scientific conformity to "preconceived narratives" of the current administration (i.e. RFK Jr). About 4 mins. Shocking account of state of academic freedom in the US. @oxmartinschool.bsky.social @oxfutureoffood.bsky.social

How can we fix the food system? 🍎 Our Health Behaviours team is using an innovative new interactive game – The Mayor of Mancunia – to explore tough choices about food, health and climate with the public as part of the SHIFT project. Now open at Manchester Museum. Find out more about the project 👇

Fantastic evening at @oxmartinschool.bsky.social last night with @kevinh-phd.bsky.social giving a talk on "The Calculus of Calories". Really great, nuanced and evidence-based approach to why it it so hard to lose weight, the obesogenic environment and UPFs. Video below in case you missed it!

We're are now accepting applications for an exciting DPhil at the @oxprimarycare.bsky.social, *FUNDED* by the THRIVING Food Futures research hub! The project is about divisive policies, supervised by me, Dr Rachel Pechey @petescarbs.bsky.social @ashakaur.bsky.social lnkd.in/eezGaZZ3 Pls share! ✨

Duties of a Doctor (General Medical Council) imply that giving out false or misleading information that could lead to harm might be grounds for removing a doctor from the Medical Register.

New research from @oxmartinschool.bsky.social and @smithschool.ox.ac.uk shows policymakers are seriously underestimating how willing the public is to step up on climate action. Read more ⬇️ #OxfordClimate

We are now on Bluesky! Follow us for: The latest insights from Cochrane reviews 📖 Training and support for researchers 👩🏫 Information on research integrity, innovative methods and our global community 🌏

New @jessicarenzella.bsky.social! Workshops w/Newham residents to identify ways to improve diets “…although the implementation of interventions in different areas may require tailoring, the focus of interventions to tackle the determinants of unhealthy diets could be similar across neighbourhoods.”

Our early career researchers have set up a network to support those working in #research related to healthy, sustainable, and equitable diets and food systems. Is that you? You can find out more on our website: www.phc.ox.ac.uk/research/res... cc @betheveleigh.bsky.social @petescarbs.bsky.social

Absolutely dystopian juxtaposition from the Guardian front page. Difficult to understand how anyone of decency and conscience can defend this government at this point. Just sheer moral degeneracy to arm a state that does this and arrest people for objecting. Wtf are we doing as a country?

When people find out how little is spent on foreign aid, they're less likely to say that the US spends "too much". This might seem obvious, but many would argue that pointing to data or facts is never successful in changing peoples' minds.

Remember all that fulminating in the billionaire press about "free speech" (ie their freedom to abuse Muslims, trans people etc with impunity)? Now that people are being arrested for speaking about an issue of the utmost gravity, the self-appointed guardians of liberty have fallen strangely silent.

New parliamentary inquiry into tackling the obesity epidemic launched today, deadline for written submissions 28th August. Do consider submitting! committees.parliament.uk/committee/81...

Oxford University and @cam.ac.uk have each received a £6.25 million gift to expand their outreach work with socio-economically disadvantaged students in STEM subjects. Find out more ⬇️

🌱🍽️ Our SHIFT research team is co-creating an interactive game in collaboration with Manchester residents to spark conversations about food sustainability. Check out how community workshops are shaping this innovative project for Manchester Museum! 🎮 #FoodSustainability #CommunityEngagement

Talks from our seminar series by @jeanmadams.bsky.social and Marco Springmann are now online! www.futureoffood.ox.ac.uk/events#tab-7...

Ministers to delay UK junk food advertising ban until next year www.ft.com/content/a4a5...

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...

I am all about this

HERC SHORT COURSES 2025 HERC is pleased to announce their programme of Online and In-person short courses for 2025 and that registration is open now for bookings. #healtheconomics www.herc.ox.ac.uk/herc-short-c... @oxpop.bsky.social 1/6

First published in 1996, the CONSORT statement was designed to improve the quality of reporting and provide a minimum set of items to be included in a report of a randomised trial. Now, there is an updated 2025 Statement. Find it here: tinyurl.com/2s3hv3yx

📢 A new globally agreed approach to identify & monitor #immunosuppressed adults most at risk of severe COVID-19 has been developed by Oxford-led researchers. The system gives a clearer picture of who is most at risk, improving disease surveillance, resource use & #PublicHealth decision-making.

Thought experiment! Can you add a tiny bit of a vegetable you really hate to a soup you really like (🥦+🍜) and still eat the soup? What about a tiny bit of human meat (🦵🏻+🍜)? Is it different? Find out why in my new paper👇🏻(yes, the trigger warning is appropriate)

Great to be at the Centre for Food Policy @foodpolicycitysg.bsky.social symposium today! #cityfoodsym What a buzz! Christina Vogel opening the event. @citystgeorges.bsky.social

Don't forget to book your place for our talk with Professor Marco Springmann from @ucl.ac.uk and @ecioxford.bsky.social on Wednesday at 4pm. www.futureoffood.ox.ac.uk/event/a-refo...

If you missed #oxLEAP25 this week, you can now catch up with @paulbehrens.bsky.social plenary talk on the LEAP YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2nl...

Report on how a PR company funded by the meat industry undermined the EAT Lancet report, spreading info through trad and social media focussing on "hypocrisy" of the EAT team. Accounts in here about how the authors were attacked a) for being vegan, and b) for not being vegan.

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.

Really engaging presentation from Sarah Shaw on the SALIENT consortium. Revealing the potential misalignment of research, policy and organisational priorities, and the need for organisations to justify partnering on research, and much more. All rings true from some past experiences! #UKSBM2025

New research: Gaming well-being isn't about hours played, but how players feel about gaming's role in their lives. Lead author @nballou.bsky.social. Senior author @shuhbillskee.bsky.social @mentalhealthoii.bsky.social @oii.ox.ac.uk. More here: bit.ly/3FnSRXP

This is great news, congratulations Adam!

Curious about doing a PhD? 🤔 Join Oxford's research community and work with academic staff on projects in a range of subject areas. UNIQ+ research internships are now open for applications from UK undergraduates from under-represented and disadvantaged backgrounds. More info ⬇️

If you're a @ox.ac.uk researcher, DPhil or professional staff member into policy engagement, come join us for lunch to launch the latest round of the OPEN Peer Mentoring Scheme. Book: forms.office.com/Pages/Respon...

DHSC's now responded to the @houseoflords.parliament.uk 'Recipe for Health' report on how to fix our food system The response includes: -a new food strategy to come from Defra -recognition that it needs a cross-gov approach -industry to remain v much part of the solution www.gov.uk/government/p...

One of our sister projects is hiring! Join a great team working with @sartorialfoodie.bsky.social and others @citystgeorges.bsky.social

Congratulations to those accepted to present at #UKSBM, taking place in Bristol this March 🎈 Excited to present a poster of my, @ashakaur.bsky.social, and Nia Robert's review of deliberative methods applied to food policies! www.delegate-reg.co.uk/uksbm2025/pr...

Alison Tedstone giving the opening keynote at the sold out Nutrition Society Winter Conference "Dietary Guidelines and Advice - current and future". #NSWinter25

A reform of VAT on foods can have health, environmental and economic benefits according to a new study. Researchers at the ECI and @oxmartinschool.bsky.social say it would help people choose healthier and more sustainable diets and make them more affordable. www.eci.ox.ac.uk/news/reform-...

Another reminder: Respiratory infections spread mainly through the air. That’s why they affect the lungs. Masks, worn correctly and consistently, reduce the spread of respiratory infections. Respirators work better than masks. Washing hands isn’t wrong, but it won’t stop airborne transmission.