Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Phillip Baker @philbakernz.bsky.social · 1d

How did ultra-processed foods come to dominate what much of the world eats–and what can we do about it?

🌍 Join the launch of The Lancet Series on UPFs & Human Health, 19 Nov (London + online)

Experts will unpack the science, policy & politics of UPFs
🔗 Register: www.fsp.usp.br/nupens/launc...

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Food, Farming and Countryside Commission @ffc-commission.bsky.social · 14d

“People are outraged when they find out just how much big food corporations spend on lobbying government.”

Our CEO @suepritch.bsky.social on today's episode of The Food Programme, sharing what we found from talking to citizens in #TheFoodConversation.

Listen in full 👉 www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

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Jennifer Clapp 🇨🇦 @jennifer-clapp.bsky.social · 27d

I'm honoured by the invitation from the FAO Right to Food team to present in this upcoming webinar on Unpacking Corporate Power in Agrifood Systems - with insights from my new book Titans of Industrial Agriculture. Sept 24 - 14:00-15:30CET

Link to register: fao.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

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Phillip Baker @philbakernz.bsky.social · 27d

Calling all food governance scholars! Please check out this call for papers for a special issue on rebuilding global food governance. More info below 👇

Jennifer Clapp 🇨🇦 @jennifer-clapp.bsky.social · 28d

Call for papers! @danielleresnick.bsky.social , @philbakernz.bsky.social and I are co-editing a special issue in the journal Food Policy on "Rebuilding Global Food Governance amidst a Crisis of Multilateralism" - Papers due Feb.1, 2026. For more info, see link!

www.sciencedirect.com/special-issu...

Food Policy | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier - Food Policy | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier

Read the latest articles of Food Policy at ScienceDirect.com, Elsevier’s leading platform of peer-reviewed scholarly literature

www.sciencedirect.com

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Jennifer Clapp 🇨🇦 @jennifer-clapp.bsky.social · 28d

Call for papers! @danielleresnick.bsky.social , @philbakernz.bsky.social and I are co-editing a special issue in the journal Food Policy on "Rebuilding Global Food Governance amidst a Crisis of Multilateralism" - Papers due Feb.1, 2026. For more info, see link!

www.sciencedirect.com/special-issu...

Food Policy | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier - Food Policy | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier

Read the latest articles of Food Policy at ScienceDirect.com, Elsevier’s leading platform of peer-reviewed scholarly literature

www.sciencedirect.com

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Phillip Baker @philbakernz.bsky.social · 29d

Absolutely heart breaking 💔 I can only imagine the frustration and pain parents and health workers are experiencing watching their young children starve. Let’s be clear: the weaponisation of food by the Israeli state is a war crime under international law. It’s mass murder and an act of genocide.

UNICEF Press Office @unicefmedia.bsky.social · 29d

The percentage of children identified as acutely malnourished in screenings across Gaza increased to 13.5 per cent in August, from 8.3 per cent in July.

www.unicef.org/press-releas...

Devastating rate of child malnutrition in the Gaza Strip in August surpasses July record

After July IPC famine finding in Gaza City, screenings show 1 in 5 children acutely malnourished as the military offensive there escalates

www.unicef.org

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Phillip Baker @philbakernz.bsky.social · 29d

🔥 Powerful new report just out from UNICEF - Feeding Profit: How Food Environments are Failing Children.

Exposes rising problem of ultra-processed foods in child food environments, the industry behind it, and what to do about it.

Please absolutely read and share 👇

www.unicef.org/reports/feed...

Feeding Profit

How food environments are failing children

www.unicef.org

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UNICEF Press Office @unicefmedia.bsky.social · 29d

The percentage of children identified as acutely malnourished in screenings across Gaza increased to 13.5 per cent in August, from 8.3 per cent in July.

www.unicef.org/press-releas...

Devastating rate of child malnutrition in the Gaza Strip in August surpasses July record

After July IPC famine finding in Gaza City, screenings show 1 in 5 children acutely malnourished as the military offensive there escalates

www.unicef.org

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Becky Freeman @drbfreeman.bsky.social · Aug 12

Vape brands bypass regulations on marketing to young people by using global social media accounts
theconversation.com/vape-brands-...

Vape brands bypass regulations on marketing to young people by using global social media accounts

Vape manufacturers mirror traditional tobacco marketing, including stylish branding, flavours and sponsorships, to reach young people through social media.

theconversation.com

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Phillip Baker @philbakernz.bsky.social · Aug 9

Excellent proposal 🙌

Build Up Dietitians @builduprdns.bsky.social · Aug 7

🔥BREAKING!
David Kessler, fomer FDA commissioner,"...has filed a citizen petition w/ the FDA to ban processed refined carbohydrates from the U.S. food supply...
The petition targets “refined carbohydrates used in industrial processing”..."
foodfix.co/former-fda-c...

Former FDA commissioner seeks ban on popular ingredients in ultra-processed foods

David Kessler, who served as FDA commissioner during the H.W. Bush and Clinton administrations, once took on Big Tobacco. Now he’s taking on Big Food.

foodfix.co

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Phillip Baker @philbakernz.bsky.social · Aug 8

Hot off the press! 🔥 our new case study on political lobbying by the baby food industry and how it influenced New Zealand governments decision to opt out of regulations intended to protect infant health. Please see below for the full article 👇 with congrats to Naomi Hull for her leadership on this!

Naomi Hull @naomihull.bsky.social · Aug 6

🧵1/3 New paper! Profits Before Health? New Zealand Government Rejection of Stricter Infant Formula Marketing Standards and the Lobbying Behind It. Read it here ➡️ onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
@philbakernz.bsky.social @mboatwright.bsky.social @sydney.edu.au

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Food Fix @foodfixco.bsky.social · Aug 7

FoodFix bonus edition: David Kessler, who served as FDA commissioner during the H.W. Bush and Clinton administrations, once took on Big Tobacco. Now he’s taking on Big Food.

foodfix.co/former-fda-c...

Former FDA commissioner seeks ban on popular ingredients in ultra-processed foods

David Kessler, who served as FDA commissioner during the H.W. Bush and Clinton administrations, once took on Big Tobacco. Now he’s taking on Big Food.

foodfix.co

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Build Up Dietitians @builduprdns.bsky.social · Aug 7

🔥BREAKING!
David Kessler, fomer FDA commissioner,"...has filed a citizen petition w/ the FDA to ban processed refined carbohydrates from the U.S. food supply...
The petition targets “refined carbohydrates used in industrial processing”..."
foodfix.co/former-fda-c...

Former FDA commissioner seeks ban on popular ingredients in ultra-processed foods

David Kessler, who served as FDA commissioner during the H.W. Bush and Clinton administrations, once took on Big Tobacco. Now he’s taking on Big Food.

foodfix.co

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Naomi Hull @naomihull.bsky.social · Aug 6

🧵3/3 This is timely given the current work in Australia to restrict the marketing of infant formula and what the formula industry has to say about it. You can read what they are saying about the matter (publicly) here ➡️ www.accc.gov.au/public-regis... and ➡️ www.health.gov.au/resources/pu...

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Naomi Hull @naomihull.bsky.social · Aug 6

🧵2/3 The NZ govt bowed to lobbying, departing from the revised standard to limit misleading labels on formula tins. Evidence of many meetings between formula execs and NZ ministers. Strong regulation of lobbying needed to safeguard infant health from profit. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

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Naomi Hull @naomihull.bsky.social · Aug 6

🧵1/3 New paper! Profits Before Health? New Zealand Government Rejection of Stricter Infant Formula Marketing Standards and the Lobbying Behind It. Read it here ➡️ onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
@philbakernz.bsky.social @mboatwright.bsky.social @sydney.edu.au

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Phillip Baker @philbakernz.bsky.social · Jul 21

Timely editorial by @TheLancetEndo highlights need for policies on ultra-processed foods. @carlos-monteiro.bsky.social & me agree, adding that policies targeting ultra-processed diets as a whole are realistic & urgent—especially in regions not yet dominated by them www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

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Stuart Gillespie @stuartgillespie.bsky.social · Jul 12

Great paper by Dori Patay and colleagues...on getting beyond the clichés of transformation to show what it will really take!

www.nature.com/articles/s43...

@nature.com @philbakernz.bsky.social

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Food Equity Centre @foodequitycentre.bsky.social · Jul 9

New video 🎬

Modern food systems encourage overconsumption and overproduction.

As citizens, we need to reassess our relationship with food.

Lidia Cabral offers her take on transforming food systems #sustainablefarming @chalkstonefilms.bsky.social

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Roger Mathisen @mathisenroger.bsky.social · Jul 9

NEW PUBLICATION: Implementation of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and maternity protection: correlations with commercial milk formula consumption in East Asia and the Pacific. www.frontiersin.org/journals/ped...

Frontiers | Implementation of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and maternity protection: correlations with commercial milk formula consumption in East Asia and the Pacifi...

ObjectiveThe rise of commercial milk formulas (CMF) consumption by infants and young children raises concerns about their health, development, and survival. ...

www.frontiersin.org

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Food Equity Centre @foodequitycentre.bsky.social · Jun 24

People working in food systems - those in fields, in factories and in hospitality need to have their labour fairly compensated.

That's the key to transforming food systems for the better says @deewoods.bsky.social ‪from @landworkersuk.bsky.social ‪ and @grancomkitchen.bsky.social

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Phillip Baker @philbakernz.bsky.social · Jun 15

More about the Food Equity Centre here: www.ids.ac.uk/programme-an...

Food Equity Centre - Institute of Development Studies

The Food Equity Centre brings together researchers, policy makers, practitioners and activists to collaborate in developing solutions to inequities in food systems. It addresses the urgent need for re...

www.ids.ac.uk

Phillip Baker @philbakernz.bsky.social · Jun 15

It was a pleasure to speak with the team from @foodequitycentre.bsky.social at @ids.ac.uk about transforming the global food system. I was visiting to speak about the global health challenge of ultra-processed foods, and we made this short video 👇 please check out the wonderful work they are doing

Food Equity Centre @foodequitycentre.bsky.social · Jun 11

What would it take to transform the global food system?

For @philbakernz.bsky.social, redistribution of resources to enable more households to access healthy food is the key.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQ4q...

What actions do you think are needed? #foodjustice #foodsystems

Transforming food systems: tackling inequality and redistributing resources

YouTube video by Institute of Development Studies

www.youtube.com

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Food Equity Centre @foodequitycentre.bsky.social · Jun 11

What would it take to transform the global food system?

For @philbakernz.bsky.social, redistribution of resources to enable more households to access healthy food is the key.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQ4q...

What actions do you think are needed? #foodjustice #foodsystems

Transforming food systems: tackling inequality and redistributing resources

YouTube video by Institute of Development Studies

www.youtube.com

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Emmanuel Freudenthal @emmanfre.bsky.social · Jun 6

Kenya's competition authority looked into animal feed market and found:
- 4 vertically integrated firms control over half the market
- Feed prices are up to 40% higher than international markets
- This leads to lower farmer income and higher food prices
www.shambacentre.org/why-competit...

Why competition authorities must address food markets — Shamba Centre for Food & Climate

www.shambacentre.org

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Phillip Baker @philbakernz.bsky.social · Jun 5

It was a pleasure to collaborate with ‪@wambuimishi.bsky.social‬ and Tim Dorlach on this study. Ping @anhacademy.bsky.social

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Phillip Baker @philbakernz.bsky.social · Jun 5

New study just out 🔥 Kenya's 2012 Breast Milk Substitutes Act is a powerful example of how women’s political leadership - backed by male allies, global advocacy networks, and policy windows - can overcome corporate opposition to protect breastfeeding. Please read more below 👇

Maryanne W. Wamahiu @wambuimishi.bsky.social · Jun 2

📢 Publication alert!

How can WHO member states overcome industry barriers to adopt the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes into national law? We study Kenya and share some insights globalizationandhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

@philbakernz.bsky.social

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Maryanne W. Wamahiu @wambuimishi.bsky.social · Jun 2

📢 Publication alert!

How can WHO member states overcome industry barriers to adopt the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes into national law? We study Kenya and share some insights globalizationandhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

@philbakernz.bsky.social

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Rob Percival @rob-percival.bsky.social · May 17

I spent the half-year working on this investigation. Extraordinary influence of UPF lobby behind the scenes.

'UK government dropped health push after lobbying by ultra-processed food firms' 👇

www.theguardian.com/society/ng-i...

UK government dropped health push after lobbying by ultra-processed food firms

Exclusive: Guardian investigation reveals guidance for retailers in England changed after campaign by global food firms

www.theguardian.com

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Amy Carrad @amycarrad.bsky.social · Apr 10

One week until this #SavingTheWorld webinar with guest Professor @jennifer-clapp.bsky.social, hosted by the Planetary Health Equity Hothouse.
📆17th April
🕥10:30am AEST
🔗Register for the Zoom link: hothouse.anu.edu.au/event/titans...

@anuregnet.bsky.social @uwaterloo.ca @anuagrifood.bsky.social

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