In this exclusive member-only Youth and Health Community Huddle, James Toop Chief Executive of Bite Back joined Kate Cawley to provide members with:
- context on how business as usual is harming child health
- a debrief on a newly published report in partnership with the University of Oxford which looks 241 brands and over 5000 products, and aims to counter this impact,
- Info on a new upskilling solution (in partnership with FFM) designed to help food and drink companies take action on finding evidence-based solutions to healthy and sustainable diets.
James is passionate about transforming systems through people and leadership, previously working in education reform as Chief Executive of Ambition Institute, growing a movement of school leaders transforming schools in low income areas. He was in the inaugural cohort of the Acumen-Rockefeller Food Systems Fellowship and is Board Chair at Education for the 21st Century, a Multi Academy Trust of 8 schools in South East London and Kent.
The huddle emphasised the importance of aligned goals of improving the food system from both a health and climate perspective. The report debrief highlighted that a significant portion of the sales from the ten largest global food and drink companies is derived from unhealthy products (the volume of HFSS that is sold nationally in the UK is over £12 billion of unhealthy food and drink sales). It also demonstrated the misleading marketing tactics in targeting children with appealing imagery and health claims.
At a time when the health of one in three children is already at risk of a whole host of food related ill health, from cardiovascular disease to cancer, type two diabetes, tooth decay, we are sleepwalking into a preventable health crisis that we could be avoiding if we were to take action.
The urgency of addressing this systemic issue was stressed, and proposed actionable measures to tackle the problem, included setting healthier sales targets and enforcing marketing restrictions, and collective action.
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WHAT IS A COMMUNITY HUDDLE?
Peer networking, community building and knowledge transfer events with experts in the room. The first half of a Community Huddle is recorded and available On Demand for our community to access anytime. Each session includes a safe space place for the Membership Community to ask questions (unrecorded).
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WANT TO BE PART OF THESE CONVERSATIONS?
Join Future Food Movement, you can view our membership options here. We look forward to meeting you.
