Childhood Food Environment Virtual Panel Discussion: Planning and School Food in Preventing Childhood Obesity

The Obesity All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) will convene a virtual panel discussion to mark the launch of its forthcoming policy paper on the childhood food environment, focusing on the role of planning and school food in obesity prevention.

Chaired by Baroness Jenkin, Officer of the Obesity APPG, the session will bring together leading experts from academia, public health and the voluntary sector.

Planning, schools and prevention
The discussion will explore how local planning systems and school food environments shape children’s diets, and the extent to which these settings can be leveraged to support more effective, upstream approaches to obesity prevention.

Panellists will consider barriers faced by local authorities in implementing planning restrictions, challenges in delivering consistent and high-quality school food, and the wider influence of the food environment around schools.

Public sector reform and inequalities
A central focus of the session will be how public sector reform and place-based policy levers can support more coordinated action across planning, education and public health. The panel will also examine how inequalities in access to healthy food environments continue to drive disparities in childhood obesity outcomes.

What next?
This session will provide an opportunity to engage with the APPG’s emerging findings and contribute to discussions on practical policy solutions to improve children’s food environments.

If you are interested in attending, please contact obesityappg@plmr.co.uk to register your place.