Style vs substance" and "parents, children and healthy living

Citation

(2007), "Style vs substance" and "parents, children and healthy living", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 37 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/nfs.2007.01737bab.016

"Style vs substance" and "parents, children and healthy living"

28 November 2006, Lewis Media Centre, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P’4RS.

These events examined marketing – retail and social – and aimed to bring out some of the most important issues around the way that businesses and government communicate with the public on food and health policy.

Both seminars featured latest government thinking – from Lord Rooker, Minister of State for Sustainable Farming and Food at Defra, and Christopher Holmes, Head of the Healthy Living Social Marketing Programme, Department of Health.

Style vs substance – food provenance and GM brought together latest thinking on food provenance and public attitudes to organic and fair trade produce, and to GM.

Parents, children and "healthy living" looked at the influence of parents, work pressures and political consensus on children's health and public campaigns on obesity.

Style vs substance – food provenance and GM

The meeting brought out latest thinking on current trends in food provenance, and examine the commercial and policy implications.

As attitudes towards organic, fair trade and GM produce shift, both for consumers, producers and retailers, this seminar aimed to examine the implications for stakeholders across the food chain, and to help inform parliamentary and governmental policy makers considering future approaches to these key policy issues for the food industry.

Places were booked by Members of both Houses of Parliament, and officials from the Department of Health, Defra and the Welsh Assembly, as well as representatives of industry, including Unilever, Kellogg's, Masterfoods, Marks and Spencer, McDonald's and the Meat and Livestock Commission; charities, academics and interest groups, including The Nutrition Society, GM Freeze Campaign and the IPPR; the health and catering sectors, such as Compass Group, 3663, and Scolarest and members of the press, including Marketing Magazine, The Grocer, Fresh Produce Journal, Food Manufacture and Spiked.

Lord Rooker, Minister of State for Sustainable Farming and Food at Defra, delivered a keynote address. Other speakers included: Gundula Azeez, Policy Manager, Soil Association; Nicola Carslaw, Consumer Affairs Journalist; Tony Combes, Director of Corporate Affairs, Monsanto; Jenny Dawkins, Head of Corporate Responsibility Research, Ipsos MORI; Rod Harbinson, Head of Environment Programme, The Panos Institute; Sian Harrington, Deputy Editor, The Grocer; Dr Wendy Harwood, Senior Research Scientist, Department of Crop Genetics, John Innes Centre; Brad Hill, Consumer Policy Manager, Food Retail, The Co-op; Graham Keating, Director of Communications, Yeo Valley Organic; Harriet Lamb, Executive Director, Fairtrade Foundation; Clare Oxborrow, GM campaigner, Friends of the Earth; Robin Tapper, Food Chain Relations Manager, National Farmers Union; and Lord Taverne, Chair, Sense about Science.

Gregory Barker MP, Shadow Environment Minister, and Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, chaired the seminar.

Parents, children and "healthy living"

This seminar represented an important opportunity for stakeholders in industry and interest groups to contribute to the development of the Government's landmark Healthy Living Social Marketing Programme. This seminar enabled feedback to policy makers in DH on underlying assumptions and the way forward for the campaign.

As policy makers seek to address the social factors underlying Britain's "obesogenic" society, the event examine dwhat many see as the key determinants of success or failure for any public campaign:

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  The influence of parents on the health of their children;

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  The effect of work on the health of families and

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  The importance of long-term political consensus and continuity.

Places were booked by officials from the Department of Health, Defra, the Department for Education and Skills and the Office of the Children's Commissioner; as well as representatives of industry, including Nutricia, Kellogg's, Green Gourmet, McDonald's, the IGD, 23red and the Advertising Association; charities, interest groups, educationalists and academics, such as Heart Research UK, Kidney Research UK, the National Children's Bureau, Parent Focus, Baby Milk Action, Beeston Primary School and the Institute for Employment Studies; health bodies and local authorities, including Surrey PCT, Portsmouth City Council and the London Borough of Newham and the national and trade press, including The Times, The Observer, Food Manufacture, Spiked, Children Now and OINK!.

Slimming world and MH foods exhibited at this seminar.

Christopher Holmes, Head of the Healthy Living Social Marketing Programme, Department of Health, delivered a keynote address. Other speakers included: Professor Gary Butler, Professor of Paediatrics (Growth and Development), Institute of Health Science, University of Reading; Tim Linehan, Assistant Director Campaigns, The Children's Society; Tim Loughton MP, Shadow Minister for Children and for Health; Mary MacLeod, Chief Executive, Family and Parenting Institute; Dr Ute Navidi, Director, London Play; Dr Doug Naysmith MP, Member, Health Select Committee; Susan Ringwood, Chief Executive Officer, Eating Disorders Association; Lorraine Thomas, Chief Executive, The Parent Coaching Academy and James Walsh, Head of Public Affairs, Policy Unity, Institute of Directors.

Baroness Buscombe chaired part of this event.

Publications

The unfolding discussions are reported in two briefing documents for policy makers – an extremely important output from the day. These publications contain transcripts of all the speeches and comments made during the day, together with further articles submitted by interested parties such as delegates. They are made available to the key figures deciding policy in these areas in the FSA, Government and Parliament.

All delegates have the opportunity of contributing to the text, and receive complimentary copies.

Christian Zarro, Producer, Westminster Diet & Health Forum, Connaught House, 22/24 Guildford Road, Bagshot, Surrey GU19 5JN.