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MRC Epidemiology Unit @mrcepid.bsky.social · 5h

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The researchers found more evidence of menu change rather than reformulation, with the items removed from menus being higher energy than continuous items.

Read our blog – buff.ly/Ae072j3

MRC Epidemiology Unit @mrcepid.bsky.social · 5h

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The researchers – Prof. @jeanmadams.bsky.social and Dr Mike Essman – utilised the MenuTracker database to examine changes in the energy content of new, removed, and ongoing food items, as well as assess the proportion of menu items exceeding 600 kcal per meal.

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MRC Epidemiology Unit @mrcepid.bsky.social · 5h

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The regulations require food and non-alcoholic drink outlets with at least 250 employees to display kilocalories on their menus. Calorie labelling tries to counter the issues created by ‘eating out’, with its main aim being to improve public health.

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MRC Epidemiology Unit @mrcepid.bsky.social · 5h

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Despite the introduction of calorie labelling regulations in England in 2022, researchers from the @mrcepid.bsky.social, @cam.ac.uk, have found only a 2% reduction in the energy content of food available at chain restaurants.

Read – buff.ly/py0yIZQ

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MRC Epidemiology Unit @mrcepid.bsky.social · 1d

At our next hybrid Bradford Hill Seminar, @dannydorling.bsky.social of the University of Oxford will discuss:

The politics of epidemiology and public health in the UK

📅 Wed 15 October, 1 PM (UK)

Register at buff.ly/wblZfOx

@dphpc.bsky.social @mrc-bsu.bsky.social @phgfoundation.bsky.social

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MRC Epidemiology Unit @mrcepid.bsky.social · 2d

Do you want to learn how the Intake24 online dietary recall tool can be customised for your dietary intake research?

Join our FREE webinar with Cambridge Intake24 team members Polly Page &Toni Steer to explore new features & customisation.

📅 Weds 8 Oct, 1 PM – 2 PM (UK)

Register buff.ly/3Adc6Du

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Reposted by MRC Epidemiology Unit

The Lancet @thelancet.com · 5d

The world produces enough food, yet billions lack access to healthy & sustainable diets. A new EAT–Lancet report presents a science-based approach to improve health, safeguard our environment & provide for a projected 9.6 billion people by 2050.

🔗 bit.ly/3W7rxlP

Cover of the 2025 EAT–Lancet report, featuring an image of a person scooping up green vegetables in their hands from a large plate. The report quote: “The targets of the EAT–Lancet Commission for healthy people on a healthy planet with just food systems can only be met through concerted global action and unprecedented levels of transformative change.”

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MRC Epidemiology Unit @mrcepid.bsky.social · 5d

Based on the report’s findings, the Commission outlines eight potential solutions to advance health, environmental, and justice goals, each supported by concrete actions.

Read the full report ‘The EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy, sustainable, and just food systems’:

buff.ly/Y2injb0

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Title page of the report ‘The EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy, sustainable, and just food systems’ The Lancet (2025)

MRC Epidemiology Unit @mrcepid.bsky.social · 5d

Unit researcher Prof. Nita Forouhi, an EAT-Lancet Commissioner, comments:

"What we eat and how food is produced has a profound impact not only on health, but also on planetary sustainability"

Watch Prof. Forouhi discussing the report's findings and their implications buff.ly/DVu0Uuq

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Screengrab of YouTube video for the launch of the 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission report, showing Professor Nita Forouhi discussing the report and planetary health diet.

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MRC Epidemiology Unit @mrcepid.bsky.social · 5d

The 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission report warns that our food systems breach planetary limits, and outlines a pathway to a healthier and more sustainable future.

Read more at buff.ly/VGBZEsN

#foodsystem #planetaryhealthdiet #sustainablefoodsystems

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Photo of fruit, vegetables and processed foods at a food market by Rezkytama Putra on Unsplash

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MRC Epidemiology Unit @mrcepid.bsky.social · 5d

Issue 4 of the 2025 epigram newsletter is out now.

Find out about …

Which cooked potatoes are better for you
A research collaboration discovering how urban environments can support health
And the work of the Global Diet and Activity Research Network

... and more!

Read - buff.ly/3ts21tH

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MRC Epidemiology Unit @mrcepid.bsky.social · 5d

They found family deprivation - assessed with indicators including education level, family income & home ownership - was more strongly linked to feeding practices and child eating behaviours that contribute to higher obesity rates than neighbourhood food environments.

Paper: buff.ly/acoBbFx

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MRC Epidemiology Unit @mrcepid.bsky.social · 5d

The @nihr.bsky.social funded research in four socioeconomically diverse London boroughs recruited 728 families with primary school-aged children.

One caregiver per family was interviewed on food environment, parental feeding practices, and children’s eating behaviours, preferences & weight.

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MRC Epidemiology Unit @mrcepid.bsky.social · 5d

Family affluence shields children from the risks of obesity and unhealthy eating habits, even when they're surrounded by unhealthy food options, according to a study co-led by Dr @andreadsmith.bsky.social and Prof Clare Llewellyn @uclpophealthsci.bsky.social

UCL blog buff.ly/NYr0V0x

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MRC Epidemiology Unit @mrcepid.bsky.social · 7d

Do you want to learn how the Intake24 online dietary recall tool can be customised for your dietary intake research?

Join our FREE webinar with Cambridge Intake24 team members Polly Page &Toni Steer to explore new features & customisation.

📅 Weds 8 Oct, 1 PM – 2 PM (UK)

Register buff.ly/3Adc6Du

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MRC Epidemiology Unit @mrcepid.bsky.social · 8d

Read...
📖the full story 👉 buff.ly/4pbcVHt
🔖 the full paper in Nature Food buff.ly/JZBEVLn
🍽️ More about Mandala here buff.ly/WOHbQrI

New study quantifies how food production drives species extinction risk – with enormous variation across foods and regions

mandala-consortium.org

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MRC Epidemiology Unit @mrcepid.bsky.social · 8d

What's to be done? The research shows:
📊different strategies are needed in different settings
🥣even moderate shifts in food production and diets could lead to large reductions in extinction risk
👨‍🌾 policy, trade & farming practices matter not just diet choices 6/7

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MRC Epidemiology Unit @mrcepid.bsky.social · 8d

By contrast, e.g. for 🇧🇷Brazil, 🇺🇬Uganda & 🇮🇳 India, most biodiversity risk comes from domestic production, especially animal products & tropical commodities. 5/7

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MRC Epidemiology Unit @mrcepid.bsky.social · 8d

🗺️Location also matters. In the UK, 45% of food is imported, and the overseas biodiversity impact of UK diets is ~20x greater than domestic farming. This is driven by e.g. beef, lamb, coffee, cocoa, bananas & other tropical goods. 4/7

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MRC Epidemiology Unit @mrcepid.bsky.social · 8d

🐄 Ruminant meat (mainly beef & lamb) stands out: producing 1kg can have ~1000x the extinction risk impact of 1kg of vegetables, and ~100x that of plant proteins like legumes. 3/7

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MRC Epidemiology Unit @mrcepid.bsky.social · 8d

Using the LIFE metric which links crops, livestock & extinction risk for 30,000 vertebrate land species, the study, published in Nature Food, quantifies how agriculture is reshaping habitats worldwide. 2/7

Dr Thomas Ball, Lead author on the study said: "The LIFE metric allows users, for the first time, to directly assess the impacts of different land uses across the globe on species extinction risks. Linking this to data on crop and livestock production means that we can investigate the potential extinction impacts of almost all food products.”

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MRC Epidemiology Unit @mrcepid.bsky.social · 8d

🌍 New research from the Mandala Consortium and Cambridge Zoology shows the scale of species extinction risk driven by food production, with huge differences across foods & regions. Impacts can vary by up to 1,000x depending on what we eat & where it’s produced. buff.ly/4pbcVHt 🧵 1/7

New study quantifies how food production drives species extinction risk – with enormous variation across foods and regions

www.mandala-consortium.org

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MRC Epidemiology Unit @mrcepid.bsky.social · 9d

The new system systematically categorizes food items into a three-level food group structure, which aligns with public health priorities, and offers detailed analysis of consumption patterns.

It is flexible, allowing it to fit dietary trends and support use in populations around the globe.

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MRC Epidemiology Unit @mrcepid.bsky.social · 9d

Researchers in the Unit's Dietary Assessment team and Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) have established a new, updated food grouping system for the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS).

Read about the new system at buff.ly/Rw7pkk9

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MRC Epidemiology Unit @mrcepid.bsky.social · 12d

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Authors:
Amollo Ambole - University of Nairobi, Kenya
Christer Anditi - University of Nairobi, Kenya
Tolu Oni - MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge