Guiding Principles for translating evidence on diet shift for people in the real world
Appendix D: Diet Change Actors to Consider When Identifying Evidence User Targets
The literature on food systems identifies a range of activities and stakeholders, with no agreed or universal list.
The literature on food systems identifies a range of activities and stakeholders, with no agreed or universal list (footnote 1). More specifically to diet shift, literature defining food environments (where diet choices take place), details a range of relevant settings and influential actors, again with no agreed list. Herforth and Ahmed’s (2015) framework on nutrition and physical activity decisions defines the environmental settings as consisting of: homes; schools; workplaces; recreational facilities; food service and retail establishments and other community settings; and sectors of influence being: government; public health and healthcare systems; agriculture; marketing and media; community design and safety; foundations and funders; and industry (food, beverage, physical activity and entertainment). Other frameworks are more granular, listing settings including: food banks; markets (farmers; street); meal kit deliverers; cafeterias; vending machines and concession stands; checkout stands at non-food retailers; and specifying actors including store managers, owners, suppliers, distributors, wholesalers, and sales representatives (footnote 2).
Based on this literature, and drawing on the authors’ own knowledge of food systems, Table 1 presents a list of food actor groups relevant to diet shift. Following the scope of this project specified by its commissioners, Table 1 does not include:
- the home as a sub-domain of the food environment, as evidence use by the public/citizens is outside of the scope of the ‘Optimising evidence for diet shift’ project.
- activities and actors in the food system prior to retail/catering (including agriculture, trade, distribution, processing and manufacturing)
Table 4: Diet Change Actors to consider when identifying evidence user targets
| Diet Change Actor Group | Sub-group | Actors |
|---|---|---|
| Policymakers (Public Policy) | National |
Policymakers (Elected Officials; Civil Servants) working on:
|
| Policymakers (Public Policy) | Local (Local Government Departments, Service Commissioners, Local Food Partnerships formally linked into local government |
Policymakers (Elected Officials; Civil Servants) working on:
|
| Professional Practitioners (Public Sector) | Health Professionals |
|
| Professional Practitioners (Public Sector) | Public Sector Food Procurement (schools, hospitals, prisons, public0sector owned recreational facilities, government estate), Professionals |
Professional bodies:
|
| Professional Practitioners (Public Sector) | Education on diet - Practitioners (early years care including Nurseries Children's Centres) |
Professional Bodies:
|
| Professional Practitioners (Public Sector) | Third Sector (Food Charities Community Groups, Local Food Partnership) |
|
| Commercial Practitioners (Private Sector Food Businesses) | - |
Food Industry Bodies (Selected Examples)
|
Read more:
-
See for example: Hasnain, S., Ingram, J. and Zurek, M. 2020. Mapping the UK Food System – a report for the UKRI Transforming UK Food Systems Programme. Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford; Committee on a Framework for Assessing the Health, Environmental, and Social Effects of the Food System, et al. (2015) A Framework for Assessing the Effects of the Food System. National Academies Press (US) June 17; Parsons, K. and Barling, D. (2021) Food Systems Transformation - What’s in the Policy Toolbox?. A Report for the UKRI Transforming UK Food Systems Programme; Parsons, K., (2020) Who Makes Food Policy in England? A Map of Government Actors and Activities.; Parsons K, Barling D, Lang T. (2018) UK Policymaking Institutions and their Implications for Integrated Food Policy. Advances in Food Security and Sustainability. Nov 12, 3(211), p.233.
-
Winkler, M.R., Zenk, S.N., Baquero, B., Steeves, E.A., Fleischhacker, S.E., Gittelsohn, J., Leone, L.A. and Racine, E.F., (2020). A model depicting the retail food environment and customer interactions: Components, outcomes, and future directions. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(20), p.7591