September has had a definite back-to-school feel at Bremner & Co, with plenty of workshops, webinars and catching up with colleagues and partners across the food policy world. Here’s a snapshot of what we’ve been up to.
Rosie co-authors new blog on Commercial baby food guidelines: Is the voluntary approach working? 4th September
Rosie co-authored a blog alongside Carole Coulon of Impact on Urban Health, on behalf of the Commercial Baby Food Review, a cross-sector initiative calling for stronger, enforceable standards.
The blog takes stock of progress a year into the government’s window for voluntary action from industry to improve the marketing and composition of commercial baby foods, revealing a mixed picture. While some brands are introducing products that meet the guidelines, others continue to launch products that fall short. There are also concerns that some changes may be misleading parents, as they give the impression of greater progress than has actually been made, including Boots’ “If it’s on our shelves, it’s good for baby” shelf messaging.
With the February 2027 deadline approaching, this response raises the question whether voluntary guidelines can deliver the scale and consistency of change needed to create healthier food environments for babies, young children and their families.
Read the full blog here and learn more about the Review’s ongoing evaluation.
How a supermarket works: a walk around with Louis Bedwell, 9th September
We spend a lot of time considering how pricing, promotions and product availability shape what families buy, so it was a pleasure to join Louis Bedwell for an afternoon walking the supermarket aisles, exploring how products make it on to the shelves.
Louis gave us insight into the roles of buying and category management, merchandising, technical and supply chain teams, as well as suppliers bringing their own proposals, evidence and plans. We came away with a better understanding of how a product’s place on the shelf reflects a series of decisions made long before it reaches shoppers; invaluable context for making recommendations that are feasible for retailers and support a healthier shopping environment for families.
Read more about Louis’ work here
Louis Bedwell talks the team through the different factors that shape product availability in supermarkets
Our monthly bring and share lunch, 10th September
Our monthly Bring and Share lunch is our chance to step away from our desks and catch up on life outside work: tomato harvests, hiking plans and, a team first, TV spreadsheets. These were amongst the important topics covered over a delightful spread of salads, fresh bread, a good cheese board and a bag of premium crisps rescued from the previous day’s supermarket walkaround.
In Myles’ words: #Team. #Lunch. Two most excellent things coming beautifully together
The Bremner Team featuring our monthly Bring and Share lunch spread
How policy fails the most food insecure before they reach school: Rosie’s presentation at the Future of Food Symposium 14th September
Rosie joined researchers, policymakers, practitioners and advocates from across the food system at the Future of Food Symposium, presenting findings from the Too Young to Count report and show how current policies are failing children experiencing food insecurity in their earliest years.
Rosie’s talk formed part of a wider session on food insecurity, nutrition and health inequalities, bringing together research on groups whose experiences are often missed, such as people experiencing homelessness and older people from ethnic minority communities. A common thread was the need to look beyond conventional measures of food insecurity in research to recognise who is being overlooked, and what this means for developing policies that reach those most in need.
These events always offer a valuable opportunity to learn from others across the sector, meet inspiring people and step outside of our day-to-day work to reflect on the connections across the issues we work on, informing our work more broadly as we work towards a healthier and more equitable food system.