SHUFood: Sheffield Hallam University Food Research Cluster

SHUFood is an inclusive, interdisciplinary and collaborative research cluster broadly focused on food and drink. Based at Sheffield Hallam University, the group brings together academics, food/drink practitioners and interested members of the public. Our research is rooted in the real world, addressing the socio-cultural, environmental, and behavioural dimensions of food and drink through academic publications, consultancy, public engagement activities and research-led teaching. SHUFood is made up of three sub-clusters:

Culture, Health, Environment, Food and Society (CHEFS) 
CHEFS co-leads: Jennifer Smith Maguire j.smith1@shu.ac.uk; John Dunning j.dunning@shu.ac.uk
Research on the socio-cultural dimensions of food and drink, with attention to:
• Storytelling, discourse, and ritual
• Urban/regional development (e.g., via wine and food tourism)
• Inequalities, social justice, and sustainability
• Institutional settings (e.g., school lunches)

Surplus, Waste and Excess Food in Society (SWEFS)
SWEFS lead: Pallavi Singh p.singh@shu.ac.uk; Dianne Dean Dianne.Dean@shu.ac.uk
Research on drivers and potential interventions to address food waste, with attention to:
• Attitudes towards food waste
• Cost and management of food waste
• Social, political, and economic impacts of overconsumption and food waste

Sheffield Hallam Appetite Research (SHARe) 
SHARe co-leads: Jenny Paxman J.R.Paxman@shu.ac.uk ; Jordan Beaumont j.beaumont@shu.ac.uk
Research on appetite regulation and modulation, with attention to:
• Eating behaviour
• Hedonics, food and feeding
• Obesity and weight management
• Sensory analysis

Our aims:

  • To create a cross-university, interdisciplinary and academic-practitioner network with the common goal of celebrating, facilitating, perpetuating, and disseminating research activity in relation to the socio-cultural, environmental, and health-related dimensions of food and food practices.
  • To generate compelling evidence of the social, economic, and health impacts of food/drink behaviours, practices, norms, values, organisations, and regulations.
  • To foster a vibrant, inclusive, and creative research environment for academic staff and students. We welcome colleagues from any discipline, with teaching or research responsibilities, and from any career stage, including doctoral students.

CHEFS, SWEFS and SHARe have been supported through the Sheffield Hallam University Creating Knowledge Implementation Plan.