TO BE PUBLISHED May 2026
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Format: DOWNLOADABLE PDF
This conference will focus on next steps for obesity policy, prevention and care in England. We expect discussion to bring out latest thinking on how policy, regulation, innovation and healthcare pathways will need to develop to support healthier food environments, reduce prevalence, and improve outcomes, particularly for communities experiencing the highest levels of obesity.
Implementation of measures for prevention
It will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to discuss how the NHS 10 Year Health Plan ambition to shift from sickness to prevention - and priority outcomes highlighted in the Good Food Cycle strategy, and the ongoing Health and Social Care Committee inquiry into food and weight management - can be translated into practical measures. Delegates will discuss options that can be considered and implemented for aligning food systems, regulatory measures and local delivery so that prevention is integrated across national and local planning, and so that responsibilities and expectations for government, industry, the NHS and local authorities are clear and workable.
System factors & consumer behaviour
Attendees will consider next steps, and implications for stakeholders, of strategic approaches to improving the food environment and reducing consumption of less healthy products. Implications of regulatory measures for business practice and consumer behaviour will be discussed, including the influence on decisions across the food sector of clearer expectations on advertising, reporting and reformulation. Delegates will also consider the way forward for coordination of these approaches with wider prevention objectives and aims of national health improvement strategies.
The agenda will also consider what effective prevention looks like across the life course, including system-wide factors that influence childhood obesity. Delegates will look at how national commitments and local responsibilities interact, and how practical challenges in local delivery can be addressed in ways that support consistent and equitable provision, including in education, family support and community settings.
Innovation
Further sessions examine opportunities for innovation and the evolving role of clinical and technological interventions in obesity policy. Attendees will consider how new treatments and technologies can be incorporated safely and effectively into care pathways, and what support may be needed for commissioning, delivery and workforce capability. Discussion will look at wider system implications, including governance, data considerations and the equitable adoption of emerging approaches.
Overview of areas for discussion
- policy: prevention agenda outlined in the NHS 10 Year Health Plan - links with the Good Food Cycle strategy - implications of the Health and Social Care Committee inquiry
- regulation: mandatory reporting of healthy food sales - evidence-based salt and sugar targets - considerations for reformulation and commercial practice
- advertising and promotions: scope of restrictions on less healthy food and drink marketing - brand-level advertising - assessment of impacts on consumer behaviour
- fiscal levers: extension of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy - effects on product reformulation - issues relating to artificial sweeteners and additives
- childhood obesity: baby food reformulation and labelling accuracy - restrictions on high‑caffeine energy drinks - expansion of free school meals and breakfast clubs
- local delivery: financial, staffing and facility pressures for schools and local authorities - capacity for place‑based prevention - coordination with wider public health responsibilities
- physical activity: investment in grassroots sports facilities - development of extracurricular physical activity and extended-day provision - strategies for strengthening community participation
- clinical interventions: commissioning and rollout of weight loss drugs - support for integrated care boards - interface between medical treatment and prevention pathways
- emerging technologies: use of artificial intelligence, genomics and wearables - data privacy and interoperability - risks of widening inequalities in more deprived communities
- workforce and ethics: workforce development strategy - skills for adopting new technologies - ethical frameworks to balance automation with human oversight
