Hosted by Public Health Specialist Group
With growing international political unease - food insecurity has become a primary driver of health inequality in the UK. The Food Foundation (2026) reports that over half of food-insecure households are now forced to cut back on essential food items, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, directly impacting our ability to manage long-term health conditions.
This session will examine evidence on the scale and drivers of food insecurity, its impact on healthcare, and what we can do as dietitians to influence systemic change. We'll cover how dietitians from all professional backgrounds can be part of the solution from individual clinical interventions, to national campaigns and advocating for sustainable food systems.
Our panel will include specialist NHS dietitians in East London, sharing how clinical dietitians can apply culturally-sensitive dietary advice to patients with long-term health conditions impacted by structural inequalities and food insecurity.
We will also hear from public health dietitians at the forefront of national campaigns, including the parliamentary UK commission seeking to recognise a right to food in the UK.
Speakers
(More speaker details to follow)
- Abigail Pearson (RD), LLM, BSc (Hons), Senior Specialist NHS Dietitian and Project Manager for The Right to Food London
More about Abigail- Abigail has worked within the NHS and private healthcare industries as a clinical dietitian for 15 years, most of this time spent working in the community setting of some London's most asset-stripped communities. Witnessing an increasing number of patients' nutritional status being impacted by poverty, insecure housing, benefit sanctions, and inadequate access to affordable food; Abigail sought solutions to the wider systemic failures affecting dietetic interventions by studying a LLM (Masters in Law) in Healthcare Ethics and Law from the University of Manchester and by joining the Right to Food Campaign in London.
Summary of talk- Abigail will introduce the work of the Right to Food UK Commission who are currently gathering evidence on the scale and scope of food insecurity in the UK, with an aim to produce a roadmap for the government to enshrine the right to food into law. The commission's demands to the government mirror work that dietitians are already a part of and campaigning for under the BDA manifesto. Abigail will therefore discuss how to get involved with these initiatives, that are spearheading our profession to make a REAL change.
- Isabel Rice (RD), Food Poverty Campaign Coordinator, Sustain
More about Isabel- Isabel coordinates Sustain’s Food Poverty Campaign working, closely with local authorities and food partnerships on policy and practice to address the root causes of food poverty. She leads on Good Food Local: the London report, which benchmarks council action on food and inspires leadership on food systems change in the capital, and works on national campaigns for policy change to reduce household food insecurity and wider poverty across the country, including Sustain’s national Healthy Start work together with the Food Foundation.
Isabel is a Registered Dietitian with a MSc in Public Health Nutrition and a background in clinical and public health nutrition and research. She has published work on improving access to health and nutrition services for disabled children in Uganda, and the role of dietitians in addressing food insecurity, as well as lecturing on food poverty at various universities.
Summary of talk- Isabel will speak about her work at Sustain influencing food policy and practice with a focus on reducing food insecurity and health inequalities in localities, across regions and nationally. This will include opportunities for dietitians to be involved in work addressing food insecurity.
- Dr Sharon Noonan-Gunning (RD), Research Officer for the Public Health Specialist Group
- Kyle Kennedy, Secretary and Food Insecurity Lead for the Public Health Specialist Group
More about Kyle- Kyle is a dietitian, in Scotland, with a strong interest in public health, policy, and reducing health inequalities. His experience spans clinical dietetics and government, including work with the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities supporting national public health strategy and research.
He is Secretary of the BDA Public Health Specialist Group and leads its Food Insecurity Working Group. Kyle is also an active contributor to wider BDA committees and initiatives, and previously served as UK Student Representative on the BDA Board.
He is particularly interested in public health nutrition, policy, and tackling health inequalities at a population level, and contributes internationally through EFAD and WHO networks.
Summary of talk- Kyle will summarise the findings of the EFAD European Specialist Dietetic Network FEED Europe Project’s UK study and highlight the relevance for dietitians aiming to become more engaged in addressing food insecurity. He will also discuss the 2026 aims of the BDA Public Health Specialist Group’s Food Insecurity Working Group and outline how dietitians can get involved in its work to help tackle food insecurity in the UK.
Cost
Free to all healthcare professionals and dietetic students
Admin Code SLA
