BNF spearheads six innovation hubs to address diet-related health challenges in UK

22 Aug 2023 --- The British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) has unveiled its plans to coordinate the inception of six innovation hubs by the Diet and Health Open Innovation Research Club (OIRC) to combat unhealthy diets in the UK.

The hubs will be a central point for academics and nutrition specialists to find solutions to serious diet-related health challenges and address barriers to progress. BNF says it will ensure connectivity across hubs and share scientific findings throughout the network. 

“We have high quality nutrition and health research coming out of the UK but this doesn’t always get translated into real-world benefits for consumers,” Bridget Benelam, nutrition communications manager at BNF tells Nutrition Insight. 

“Sharing of high-quality research can help ensure that investment in innovation is driven by the best evidence-based nutrition and science, rather than being led by consumer trends.”

The OIRC represents an investment of approximately £15 million (US$19 million).

“OIRC represents a major investment to deliver world-class innovation around diet and health by helping address critical shared barriers to innovation across the food and drink sector. It shows a commitment to collaborative working between academia and industry in order to make the greatest possible impact for the public good,” says Benelam.

Prying out the nutrition pearls
The OIRC innovation hubs will prioritize the pursuit of knowledge about the interplay between food components and human physiology and improving health and nutrition through biofortification.

“For example, the INFORM hub is investigating the role of functional food and beverages to improve health and recovery. The focus of this hub will be on prebiotics, probiotics and plant stanols that can have a beneficial effect on the gut microbiota,” notes Benelam.

OIRC hubs will give nutrition specialists a network to find solutions for pressing problems in the field.

“The Consumer Lab Hub, will develop a UK-wide ‘consumer lab’ made up of a network of industry and academic members to investigate the appeal of food products, consumer choices and dietary behaviors in everyday places such as the home, cafés and school canteens.”

Within the scope of the hubs, the biological, social and psychological determinants of food choice and eating behavior will be analyzed. Understanding how food and beverages deliver improved nutrition is another key area of exploration within the innovation hubs.

“Diet-related diseases are the major killers around the world and nutrition research has provided invaluable evidence to help us understand how what we eat and drink affects our health,” says Sara Stanner, science director at the British Nutrition Foundation. 

“But to make a real impact, this research must be translated into healthier and more sustainable products and improved nutrition. Collaborative working can influence the food chain from agriculture to products on shelves in order to unlock real-life benefits for people’s health and well-being.”

Calling all food players
The hubs are funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and supported by the UK Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, Innovate UK and the Medical Research Council.

“Together the six innovation hubs will provide thought leadership for the UK through advancing research and innovation. Key to the success of the initiative is building cross-sector collaborative networks that will help build capacity across the UK to focus on the most pressing topics associated with improving the diets of our nation,” says Benelam.

Recently, BNF launched a food roadmap to complement the food curriculum guiding teachers and students on topics and practices for healthy eating and cooking.

The organization also joined forces with the Magic Breakfast charity to drive research in child nutrition and investigate whether breakfast clubs can improve learning outcomes and physical and mental health. 

By Inga de Jong