Assessing the science and advancing regulatory and policy responses to ultra-processed foods
The Ultra-processed Food Policy Forum is convening world-leading scientists, politicians, policymakers and civil society representatives at Imperial College London. Together, they will discuss the latest scientific evidence on ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and explore the scope for effective, evidence-based regulatory and policy responses to their growing dominance in people’s diets and their impacts on health.
The Forum is jointly organised by the Centre for Health Economics & Policy Innovation at Imperial Business School, the Imperial School of Public Health, and the Imperial Policy Forum.
Building on Imperial’s conference on the case for government action on UPFs, held in November 2024, this year’s Forum will focus on accelerating progress towards a more robust, science-based policy agenda. As governments worldwide intensify efforts to address the expanding role of UPFs in diets, high-quality research is increasingly central to shaping policies that are both effective and sustainable.
Momentum for action in the UK and internationally has continued since the 2024 Imperial event. A series of papers published in The Lancet in November 2025 marked a turning point, providing a strong framework for bridging science and policy.
Calls for regulation in the 2024 UK House of Lords report on food, diet and obesity, alongside the ongoing House of Commons inquiry into food and weight management, as well as emerging policy discussions at European Union level, reflect increasing attention to UPFs in the public debate on food, nutrition and health.
The Ultra-processed Food Policy Forum will showcase policy approaches from across the globe, providing policymakers, researchers and civil society with comparative insights and practical lessons for future action.
Attendance update
Due to exceptionally high demand and limited venue capacity, all in-person places at the Ultra-processed Food Policy Forum have now been allocated. We received significantly more applications than the venue can accommodate.
Registration remains open for online attendance via livestream, and we warmly encourage those interested in the discussion to join remotely. The livestream will provide full access to the conference sessions and discussions.
For those attending online who are based in London, there will also be an opportunity to meet speakers and participants at the evening networking reception at Imperial College London.
Agenda
09:00 – Registration
09:30 – Welcome and Introduction
Prof. Franco Sassi – Director, Centre for Health Economics & Policy Innovation, Imperial Business School
Prof. Peter Haynes – Provost and Deputy President, Imperial College London
Moderator: Sheila Dillon
09:45 – The case for action: New evidence on the health impacts of UPFs
Dr. Mathilde Touvier – INSERM
Dr. Ashley Gearhardt – University of Michigan
Dr. Sam Dicken – UCL
11:00 – Break
11:15 – How to make UPF policies work: The direction of policy research in the UK
Prof. Adam Briggs – NIHR
Dr. Eszter Vamos – Imperial
Prof. Franco Sassi – Imperial
12:00 – UPF policy developments in the Americas and Europe
Dr. Kremlin Wickramasinghe – WHO
Dr. Fabio Gomes – PAHO
12:30 – Lunch
13:30 – Keynote: Translating UPF science into policy
Prof. Carlos Monteiro – University of São Paulo
14:00 – What is needed to implement effective UPF policy approaches
Dr. Mathilde Touvier – INSERM
Dr. Austin Frerick – Yale
Dr. Vicky Sibson – First Steps Nutrition Trust
Dr. Magdalena Muc – Open University
15:00 – Break
15:15 – UPF Politics and policy: opportunities and barriers
Discussant: Dr. Dolly van Tulleken
Baroness Walmsley – House of Lords
Ben Coleman – MP for Chelsea and Fulham
16:00 – Keynote: Changing the food system for healthier diets
Henry Dimbleby
16:25 – Final Comments
Prof. Franco Sassi
16:30 – Conference Close
17:00 – Networking Drinks (open to all)
19:00 – Networking Dinner (by invitation)