ESRC – Food System Trials to Encourage Healthy, Sustainable Diets

Funding available for a research team to co-design innovative food system research trials to encourage the take up of healthier and more sustainable diets.

This programme is a partnership between ESRC and multiple government departments, including:

• Defra
• FSA
• DHSC
• DLUHC
• DfE.

ESRC wish to appoint a research team to develop an ambitious programme of research trials in the English food system, to gather robust evidence about the effectiveness of interventions aimed at encouraging and enabling healthier and more sustainable diets for all.

This opportunity is for an initial co-design phase of five months to support a research team in working with government

During the co-design phase, the research team will be required to:

• Work with government partners to develop a detailed proposal for a programme of research trials that will test the effectiveness of different food system interventions (both in isolation and combination) aimed at encouraging and enabling healthier and more environmentally sustainable diets
• Build a consortium of partners during the co-design phase that will enable the successful delivery of the programme. The applicant will be expected to:
  • test a minimum of 10 interventions in the food system aimed at encouraging individuals and groups to take up healthier and more sustainable diets, with a particular focus on designing randomised controlled trials
  • involve a range of food environments in the programme. This could include, but is not limited to:
    • supermarkets (online and in store), takeaways and restaurants
    • schools and universities
    • GP surgeries and hospitals
    • community food networks
    • food banks
    • community food growing initiatives
  • ensure the programme of work includes:
    • appropriate management and governance with effective monitoring and evaluation
    • a clear equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and environmental sustainability plan, covering how the research team itself operates and how it will embed these considerations in the design of the programme
    • a stakeholder engagement plan that allows for input into the design and development of the programme and the rapid mobilisation of research findings.