Food Systems Accelerator: Youth Campaigners Invite Big Food Businesses To Put Child Health First
It should be easy for young people to eat healthily — but right now, that’s not our reality. What surrounds us, shapes us, and right now we’re bombarded by food and drink high in salt, sugar and fat. It’s time for that to change.
But is it possible to make far-reaching and sustainable improvements for child health without talking to food businesses? We don’t think so — and that’s why we’re launching the Food Systems Accelerator!
This innovative new six month programme is about bringing together campaigners and businesses to make a lasting impact. We’re going to be in a room with some of the UK’s biggest food brands asking them what changes they can make to put our health first.
How Does It Work?
Happening for the first time this year, the Food Systems Accelerator will bring together senior executives from eight leading food businesses, each of which have pledged to make changes to their future strategy to make it easier for young people to eat healthily. And we’ve got some big names — check out our participating businesses:
What Will Happen?
Youth voice will be at the heart of the programme, with young campaigners paired with each business to help the senior executives to better understand what consumers actually want from their products.
Starting on 5th and 6th May 2022 at Waddesdon Manor, pairs of senior executives from each organisation will take part in a series of workshops to identify, develop and deliver impactful solutions that put healthier food in the spotlight. At the end of these workshops young people and businesses will create a vision and practical interventions that will prioritise child health and set a new standard for how businesses can lead this agenda. The businesses will receive support from expert facilitators Leaders’ Quest, and innovation and evaluation specialists from Nesta, to ensure that change goals are impactful and measurable.
Changes developed by each of the corporate participants through the Food Systems Accelerator will be announced at our Youth Summit later this year. We hope that the programme will soon become an annual event.
James Toop, Chief Executive of Bite Back 2030 said: “Every child has the right to access affordable and nutritious food, so I am pleased that these eight organisations are stepping up and committing to leading the change. Collectively, they represent the shopping and eating habits of the nation, so it’s incredibly exciting that Bite Back’s tenacious young campaigners will be working with them collaboratively to shape future food systems.”
Oonagh Turnbull, Head of Health Campaigns at Tesco said: “At Tesco, we believe passionately that healthy food choices should be accessible to everyone – whoever they are, wherever they live, whatever their budget. We’re proud to be on the journey with Bite Back, working together to help support the health of families and young people across the UK.”
