Project Summary

Project overview

As it is impossible to explore all the ways meat and dairy consumption influences our food system the four year project (2017-2021) has been divided into five separate work streams that are directed by Professor Charles Godfray (Hope Professor and Director of the Oxford Martin School and Future of Food Programme) and Professor Susan Jebb (Professor of Diet and Population Health, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences) and project managed by Dr Kelly Reed.

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1. Modelling the Food System

Quantitative approaches are essential to understanding the dynamics of something as complex as the food system. This work package builds on innovative food system modelling carried out by an Oxford-IFPRI collaboration to develop a multidisciplinary framework to explore the health, environmental and economic consequences of future trends in, and policy interventions affecting, the consumption and production of meat and dairy products.

 

Team

Lead: Dr Peter Scarborough, Nuffield Department of Population Health.

Co-I: Dr Keith Wiebe, IFPRI.

Dr Marco Springmann, Nuffield Department of Population Health.

Professor Mike Rayner Nuffield Department of Population Health.

Dr Mike Clarke, Nuffield Department of Population Health.

2. Enabling Change

Activities in this work package will analyse the social and political-economic context in which food system decisions concerning meat and dairy are made. The principal activities will include: (i) a systematic analysis of the political economic drivers and dynamics of meat and dairy production, consumption and emerging alternatives; (ii) mapping stakeholder discourses, scenarios and changing attitudes of meat and dairy production/consumption; (iii) ethnographic and observational analysis of food practices.

 

Team

Lead: Dr Jamie Lorimer, School of Geography and the Environment.

Co-I: Dr Tara Garnett, FCRN.

Dr Alexandra Sexton, Department of Zoology.

Dr Nathan Clay, Department of Zoology

3. Diet, Health and Behaviour

This work package assesses the health consequences of consuming meat and dairy products and tests behavioural interventions to reduce the intake of meat and dairy products. Two key activities of this work package include: (i) examining key health risks from the consumption of meat and dairy products and assess the impact of emerging alternative foods; (ii) developing and testing behavioural interventions to reduce meat intake (in collaboration with Sainsbury’s).

 

Team

Lead: Professor Susan Jebb, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences.

Co-I: Professor Paul Aveyard, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences.

Co-I: Professor Tim Key, Nuffield Department of Population Health.

Dr Brian Cook, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences.

Ms Emma Cartwright, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences.

Dr Aurora Perez-Cornago, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences.

Dr Christina Potter, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences.

Dr Tammy Tong, Nuffield Department of Population Health.

Mr Filippo Bianchi, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences.

 

4. Environment

In collaboration with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) this work package we will develop quantitative methods to assess how meat and dairy production and consumption affects the environment, and identify environmentally benign interventions. Three key activities include: (i) investigating the relationship between meat and dairy production and land use; (ii) explore the interplay between water resources, agriculture, food and health; (iii) understanding better the global warming implications of a variety of different models of meat and dairy consumption across a range of time scales.

 

Team

Lead: Professor Jim Hall, Environmental Change Institute.

Co-I: Professor Ray Pierrehumbert, Department of Physics.

Co-I: Dr Joseph Kiesecker, Global Conservation Lands Program, The Nature Conservancy.

Dr Guoyong Leng, Environmental Change Institute.

5. Public Engagement with Research

All researchers involved in the LEAP project will take part in public engagement activities to exchange ideas and information with the public throughout the course of the research programme. The aim is to stimulate public debate and participation through the lifetime of the project, from consultation and corroboration to help design and carry out the research, through to disseminating findings and inspiring action.

 

Team

Lead: Professor Susan Jebb, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences.

Senior Advisor: Dr Lesley Paterson, Research Services (Public Engagement with Research).

Ms Helen Adams, LEAP Public Engagement Facilitator.