Category Archives: Uncategorized

by Jennifer Smith Maguire | March 12, 2025 · 2:38 pm

What’s Cooking, May 2025

What’s Cooking is an update on all things related to SHUFood: Sheffield Hallam University’s food research cluster, comprising, CHEFS (exploring the socio-cultural dimensions of food and drink), SWEFS (exploring drivers and interventions to address food waste), and SHARe (exploring appetite regulation and modulation). What’s been cooking since our last edition?

With the coming of spring, we’re tidying house, refreshing our events, and making some important changes.

First, we’ve decided to streamline our communications. This is the final edition of What’s Cooking! Thanks to everyone who has contributed to our 34 editions – all still available via the News page, and searchable on the blog site. Going forward, we’ll be sharing updates straight off the back of SHUFood Research Chats, via the News page.

We’ve also bid adieu to X (so long, Elon!), and will now send out information via the SHUFood News page. To receive updates and SHUFood news, be sure that you’re subscribed to the blog. See the subscribe option at the bottom of each SHUFood page.

For social media updates on food research across Sheffield Hallam University, we encourage you to follow the Advanced Food Innovation Centre on LinkedIn.

Second, SHUFood Research Chats are changing from monthly to quarterly gatherings. The SHUFood leads (Jordan Beaumont, Jennifer Smith Maguire, Pallavi Singh) will be taking turns hosting. Our next chat will be on 8 May 2025 (2.30-3.30) with Jen as host. See details on the SHUFood Events page, including the Teams link.

Third, we’ve tidied up the SHUFood Members Page. Would you like to be listed? Submit your information here.

Finally, we’re excited to announce that SHUFood will be running a “Sheffield Food and Nutrition Research Workshop” on 13 May, in collaboration with University of Sheffield. The event will explore how key stakeholders from across the city can work together to address local, regional and national priorities around nutrition and public health. Attendees will have the opportunity to network and discuss key themes, with keynote presentations from Greg Fell (Director of Public Health in Sheffield) and Dr Craig Leadley (Chief Executive of the Institute of Food Science and Technology). Registration will open soon; we’ll share links and more info via our Events page as soon as they’re available!

Below, we have:

updates from the most recent SHUFood chat, including recent outputs and activities;
upcoming events and calls for papers

Cheers,
The SHUFood Team!

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Updates from the SHUFood Research Chats

Richard Gillis Mostly busy with teaching for the past 3 months, but has started collaboration with old colleagues at Nottingham which has led to a new role – co-lead of National Centre for Macromolecular Hydrodynamics. Richard is also working on some data acquisition and writing a paper on arabinogalactans, which he will be presenting this Thursday (06 February) at AFIC’s research seminar. Richard is also co-supervising – with Caroline Millman (DoS) – Seun Seidu who started as a GTA in October and has already acquired some interesting microscopy data on vegan cheese.

Sunil Sahadev Working with Pallavi Singh and colleagues in India on a project exploring eco-labelling, and how easy it is for companies in India to adopt eco-labels. Sunil and Pallavi are also conducting a meta-analysis on label knowledge and trust with colleagues across the world.

Hongwei Zhang Ongoing project with Premier Foods, applying ohmic heating to sauce products, will be coming to an end in March. Hongwei and the team are now planning for challenge testing, and putting together risk assessments. Hongwei has also been invited to Innovate UK’s showcase event on 6th March, and hoping to showcase and disseminate two Innovate UK-funded projects in addition to meeting some new industrial collaborators. Hongwei and the team have been busy submitting applications, including one to an Innovate UK Made Smarter Innovation Project and a GTA application with Jordan Beaumont – this being a perk of the SHUFood chat, bringing together researchers from across the university! Hongwei is also working with Pam Bowman on a very exciting art and design project, incorporating research-informed teaching, to address the UN sustainability goal around reducing hunger.

Pam Bowman Self-confessed professional nosey person! Pam works within the Sheffield Creative Industries Institute, with a college role bringing research into teaching. Pam is interested in food as a broader topic, with food being something every discipline can connect to – a vehicle for multidisciplinary working – a true SHUFood motto.

Pallavi Singh Pallavi and colleagues have submitted an article based on their work with Sheffield City Council, which looked at household food waste collection in Sheffield. While the Council have decided not to continue with the service, the team are working on another project exploring food waste and behaviours in young adults, collecting data from first year undergraduate students. Data collection is ongoing, collected from both SHU and University of Birmingham. The project will come to an end in August, and the team are hoping to develop tangible outcomes/impact that can be taken forward.

Jo Pearce Jo and Claire Wall are progressing with their Impact on Urban Health-funded project exploring food provision and consumption in early years settings within Lambeth and Southwark. They’re currently recruiting schools, with two RAs based in London to do the data collection. Jo and Claire are also writing up findings from their previous study, exploring food provided by early years settings versus packed lunches.

Meg Flint Meg and the team (Jenny Paxman, Simon Bowles, Tony Lynn) have recently had a paper published in International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science around consumer expectations of plant-based meat alternatives. Meg and the team have an additional paper – exploring consumer perceptions of plant-based meat alternatives and the drivers and barriers influencing adoption – is currently under review with Appetite. The final data from Meg’s PhD, a product audit of plant-based and meat-based products, is ready to analyse and the team hope to finalise the work over the next few weeks. In addition to all of that, Meg is also working on the wrap around of the thesis!

Jess Limb Jess is working on a RIPEN-funded project with Caroline Millman and Susie Jones looking at the impact of salt reduction in bread, in collaboration with AB Mauri. Jess has been spending a lot of time down at AB Mauri making lots of bread. The team are also looking for participants to support their sensory panels (see details below!)

Susie Jones In addition to working on the RIPEN-funded project with Jess and the team, Susie and Jess are working on writing up their recent KTP as a teaching case study. Susie is also working with Ruth Whiteside on a consultancy framework paper, based on the Food and Nutrition Consultancy Challenge module.

Jordan Beaumont The Sheffield Children’s Hospital-funded project (with Lucie Nield, Jo Pearce, Claire Wall, Simon Bowles, Rachel Rundle) exploring childhood obesity and food insecurity is finally on the move, with data collection underway for a control group of young people living across South Yorkshire. The dark kitchens project (with the SCH team, plus Helen Martin, David Harness) is also getting closer and closer to the end. The team submitted their second paper – around a definition of dark kitchens, and considerations for key stakeholders – just before the Christmas break. Jordan and Lucie are putting the final touches to the project’s third and final paper, which the team hope to submit shortly.

Elysa Ioannou Working on the ENHANCE project – an evaluation of the Complications from Excess Weight (CEW) clinics which support young people living with obesity. Elysa’s work package involves working with patients and families/carer on their experiences and support needs – the team are hoping to start interviews in next couple of months.

Outputs

Flint, M., Leroy, F., Bowles, S., Lynn, A., & Paxman, J. R. (2025). ‘Meating’ consumer expectations: more work required to improve acceptability of plant-based meat alternative products. International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science, 101102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgfs.2025.101102

Please do email over any outputs to add to future lists, especially if you cannot make the SHUFood chats!

Participant Recruitment

The following projects are looking for participants – please share the projects with those who may be interested in participating!

Trained Sensory Panel
Caroline Millman and Jess Limn are looking for participants to be part of a trained sensory panel for a project focused on salt reduction in bread and sandwiches. The panel will run on a weekly basis for up to a maximum of 5 months, with sessions held at our research facility (City Campus, Sheffield Hallam University). As part of the process, you will be asked to attend an initial visit to assess your suitability for the trained panel. Successful applicants will then receive training and contribute to product assessments during weekly 1-hour visits. If you are interested in joining our panel, your commitment to attend is essential. We will try to schedule sessions at a time in the week that suits you.

Stage 1 of Sam McCormick’s PhD:
We are looking for people who work in a healthcare environment, such as a hospital, in Sheffield who is a Doctor, Nurse, Allied Health Professional or Administrative staff from any ethnicity.

Participants will take part in two focus groups one to share their experiences of the food environment at their place of work and tell us what matters to you and the second to feedback themes and sense-check these are correct.
For stage 2, we would like to hear from immigrant nurses who have lived in the UK for 5 years or less. You are also welcome to take part in stage 1 too.
Sign up: https://forms.office.com/e/7Z8Mr2n5dy

A “deep dive” into the experience of living with obesity in minoritised groups

We’re looking for adults with lived experience of obesity who are from a minority group (e.g., minority/global majority ethnic group, LGBTQIA+).
Participants will complete two one-hour online interviews, and will be asked to take 5-10 photos relating to their experience of living with obesity.
Participants will be provided with a £50 voucher on completion.
Sign up via: https://bit.ly/omnis1

Understanding the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and inhibitory training

We’re looking for adults (18 to 60 years) who are free of neurological, cardiovascular, metabolic and joint disease.
Participants will complete a brief baseline session (20 min) followed by two 90-minute test visits involving a series of questionnaires, tDCS and computer-based tasks.
Participants will be provided with a £50 voucher and health report on completion, and will receive lunch on both test visits.
Sign up via: https://shusls.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_01dr2TXftxkJ47I

Please do email over any recruitment material/ads to add to future lists.

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Upcoming Events and Calls for Papers

SHUFood Research Chats are changing from monthly to quarterly gatherings. The SHUFood leads (Jordan Beaumont, Jennifer Smith Maguire, Pallavi Singh) will be taking turns hosting. Our next chat will be on 8 May 2025 (2.30-3.30) with Jen as host. See details on the SHUFood Events page, including the Teams link.

CFP: Emerging Voices for the Changemaking of Food Systems Workshop (deadline 20 April)
The “Emerging Voices for the Changemaking of Food Systems” Workshop will take place June 11-13 2025, in Montpellier, France, organized by AESOP-Sustainable Food Planning (https://aesopsfp.wordpress.com/). The call is aimed at early-career researchers (PhDs/Postdocs), with a preference for ongoing or recently completed work, to foster peer-to-peer learning on key research and action challenges in food systems and food policy. The related Call for Short Papers is now open, focusing on:
• Emerging approaches to studying food systems and urban food policies
• Innovative and interdisciplinary methodologies
• Socio-ecological justice and the right to food
• Connections between food policy and other strategic areas (climate, logistics, health, transport, housing)

Accepted contributions will be published in a book of proceedings and may serve as the foundation for future collaborations.
• Submission deadline: April 20, 2025
• Venue: Institut Agro Montpellier, France
• No registration fee
• You can find all the event details at this link. For paper submission and any further inquiries, please contact: aesopsustainablefoodplanning@gmail.com

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Filed under appetite, representations & discourses, research, SHARe Sheffield Hallam Appetite Research, sustainability, Uncategorized, What's Cooking?

by Jennifer Smith Maguire | January 16, 2025 · 1:51 pm

What’s Cooking, January 2025

The National Centre for Excellence in Food Engineering (NCEFE) has now been officially renamed the Advanced Food Innovation Centre (AFIC) to reflect its broad range of Research, Innovation and Knowledge Exchange (RIKE) activities more accurately. The AFIC is committed to problem-led, collaborative Research, Innovation, and Knowledge Exchange, delivering impactful solutions for sustainable and healthier food systems. With expertise in food engineering and state-of-the-art facilities, AFIC serves as a dynamic hub for Sheffield Hallam University’s multidisciplinary capabilities for food systems, including materials engineering, clean energy, advanced manufacturing, digital technologies; nutrition, appetite, consumer behaviour; logistics and supply chain management; packaging and design; and business development. The new, more inclusive and accessible name is designed to engage academic colleagues internally and drive interest in its expertise and capabilities externally. Located at the Olympic Legacy Park, AFIC reflects Hallam’s mission to enable healthier lives through preventative health and drive future economies through knowledge exchange and enterprise. Stay tuned for more information on how to get involved with AFIC as an associate!

Mark your calendars: the first SHUFood Research Chat of 2025 will be Monday 3 February, 2-3pm, on Teams. (Meeting ID: 353 265 550 040; Passcode: bm7Ch6PE) These are informal meetings are for Hallam-based SHUFood and AFIC folks (staff and PGR students) to talk about food/drink research: showcase work, provide updates, discuss plans, explore collaborations… You can bring along updates to share, or just come along to see what everyone else is up to – all are welcome! Please email Dr Jordan Beaumont (j.beaumont@shu.ac.uk) if you need more information.

Below, we have:

updates from the most recent SHUFood chat, including recent outputs and activities;
resources and calls for papers;
the usual call for contributions and content for the mid-March 2025 edition of What’s Cooking. The deadline for submissions (research news and updates, calls for expression of interest, relevant calls for papers/conference/event announcements) to Google Form by Tuesday 11 March.

Cheers,
The SHUFood Team!

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Updates from the SHUFood Research Chats

Hayley Grinter, Dr Rachel Marsden and Dr Pallavi Singh are working on a project around food waste in families with neurodivergent children versus families with neurotypical children. The team have just completed interviews with 10 children/families and are currently transcribing and analysing the data with a view to run focus groups once key themes have been identified. Rachel is also exploring supervision of a self-funded PhD around weight stigma and health behaviours and has recently given an interview around autism and diet, which was the focus of her own PhD research.

Sam Greenstreet has recently joint SHU, having started her PhD in October (supervised by Dr Jordan Beaumont [DoS], Dr Rachel Marsden and Professor Peter Schofield), looking at eating behaviour and weight management in older adults. Sam has submitted the RF1, which has been a good opportunity to plan out the PhD and consider methodology. Meanwhile there has been plenty of inductions, teaching courses/prep and critical thinking! Sam is also developing a project with Jordan for their co-supervised MSc dissertation learning set around factors contributing to overeating, which will like with data collected for phase 1 of the PhD.

Sunil Sahadev is part of a research project looking at eco food labels. Currently running a systematic review around awareness/knowledge of and trust in eco labelling and factors that may influence consumer adoption of eco labels. Sunil and the team are also in the early stages of a study exploring the visual elements of eco labelling and how these may impact consumer engagement.

Hongwei Zhang and colleagues are working on two key projects: (1) way to decarbonise food manufacturing processes within the South Yorkshire region, and (2) scaling up research around ohmic heating, applying to sauce products and in collaboration with Premier Foods. Hongwei is also exploring funding for GTAs, co-supervised by Jordan Beaumont and collaborators from Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

Megan Flint is coming towards end of the PhD, which feels like its flown by. The programme of research – supervised by Tony Lynn (DoS), Simon Bowles and Jenny Paxman – involved three phases around plant-based meat alternative: consumer perceptions, nutritional profiles (compared with meat-based products) and sensory evaluation. Working on a number of publications, with some under review and other to be submitted in the next few weeks. In addition, the team have conducted a nutritional audit to compare plant-based meat alternatives with the meat-based products – in background, Meg is updating this audit to hopefully submit as an extra paper.

Elpida Apostolopoulou’s PhD explores place-based policymaking in just transitions, and its role in small and medium enterprise (SME) decarbonisation. Elpida is currently exploring transition to net zero in small scale horticultural enterprises, having returned to Sheffield following data collection in Western Greece. This qualitative work will now be replicated in South Yorkshire to provide comparison, and explore how organisations and policy can supports the transition to net zero.

Jessica Limb recently delivered a presentation at the Advanced Food Innovation Centre (AFIC – was NCEFE) research seminar series. Jess is pretty busy with research, with lots of exciting projects including impact of salt reduction in bread and bakery products in schools – working with Caroline Millman, Susie Jones and Rachel Rundle. Keep an eye out for papers in the near future! Jess also presented a poster at the recent I2RI conference on the work.

The NIHR-funded project exploring dark kitchens (delivery-only takeaways) is finally coming to an end. The team includes Jordan Beaumont, Lucie Nield, Helen Martin, Jo Pearce, Rachel Rundle, Simon Bowles, Claire Wall and David Harness. The team will be submitting their final two papers in early 2025, which includes a paper around defining dark kitchens (in collaboration with three other teams who secured fundings from NIHR, based at Teesside University, University of Cambridge and the University of Central Lancashire). In addition, Jordan (along with a fantastic team of collaborators) recently submitted an exciting NIHR grant application around ultra-processed foods and a couple of PhD/GTA applications. As always, lots of small projects in the works and a few manuscripts being penned.

Sam McCormick’s research is looking at experiences of the food environment for people who work in healthcare by asking what matters to them. Stage 1 will involve recruiting doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and admin staff. Stage 2 focusses specifically on immigrant nurses to co-design a vision of a hospital food environment that better serves them. Sam is currently recruiting – please share this with anyone who works in a healthcare environment in Sheffield.

We are looking for people who work in a healthcare environment, such as a hospital, in Sheffield who is a Doctor, Nurse, Allied Health Professional or Administrative staff from any ethnicity.
Participants will take part in two focus groups one to share their experiences of the food environment at their place of work and tell us what matters to you and the second to feedback themes and sense-check these are correct.
For stage 2, we would like to hear from immigrant nurses who have lived in the UK for 5 years or less. You are also welcome to take part in stage 1 too.
Sign up: https://forms.office.com/e/7Z8Mr2n5dy

Publications

Artificial Intelligence and the food sector: a golden opportunity for growth. Food Science and Technology, 38: 32-35. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsat.3804_8.x

Presentations

Beaumont, J.D. (2024). Weight management in the UK: A tug of war that nobody is winning. Presented at: School of Psychology Research Seminar, Leeds Trinity University / Responsible Consumption and Sustainable Lives Research Theme Seminar, Sheffield Hallam University

Limb, J. (2024). Advancing the Bakery Industry: Healthier Products for UK Schools and Sustainable, Smart Manufacturing. Presented at: Advanced Food Innovation Centre (AFIC) Research Seminar.

Limb, J. (2024). Are healthier reformulated chocolate cookie acceptable to children? Reducing daily sugar consumption of secondary school children by reformulating sweet baked snacks. Presented at: Industry and Innovation Research Institute (I2RI) Conference

Huge thanks to Jordan Beaumont for assembling our updates, and hosting the SHUFood Research Chats!

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Resources and Calls for Papers

SHUFood Research Chats are monthly online meetings that offer a space to talk all things research: showcase work, provide updates, discuss plans, explore collaborations… You can bring along updates to share, or just come along to see what everyone else is up to—all are welcome. Next date: Monday 3 February, 2-3pm. Please email Dr Jordan Beaumont (j.beaumont@shu.ac.uk) if you need more information. Open to all Hallam SHUFood and AFIC staff and PGR students. Join the Teams meeting here.

The Spain Gastronomy Conference 2025 (deadline 31 January)

The Spain Gastronomy Conference will be held in Madrid (Spain) on March 27-29, 2025. Full conference website here. It is organized by the Spanish Royal Academy of Gastronomy (RAG) and the CEU University Institute “Food and Society” (CEU San Pablo University, Madrid), with the support of the International Academy of Gastronomy (IAG).

Key dates:

Deadline for abstract submissions, 31 January, via this submission form
Deadline for early bird registration, 25 February, via this registration form

Royal Geographical Society 2025 Conference – session call for papers (deadline 10 February)

RGS 2025 Conference website, 27-29 August 2025 at the University of Birmingham

Exploring Perceptions, Practices and Politics of Sustainable Food Consumption in Times of Planetary Crisis; Session Organisers: Leonie Tuitjer & Kerstin Nolte

There is a longstanding interest in the role of consumers within research on sustainable food transformations. Research focuses for example on what strategies consumers pursue to reduce adverse environmental impacts of their consumption (e.g. certified foods, veganism, local foods), or what types of sustainable consumption practices are in/de-creasing within parts of the population, and how politics intervene and shape sustainable consumption choices. Much of this research revolves around consumption patterns and practices within routine situations and highlights how consumers and their choices are embedded within daily activities and how choices are afforded/constrained through such everyday settings. Yet, sets of overlapping crises are more than ever part of our everyday lives and understanding the role of crises in sustainable consumption choices is thus crucial for achieving sustainable food transformations within perpetually turbulent times.

In this panel we hence want to explore the ambivalent and at times contradictory effects of crisis on sustainable food consumption. We are interested in how crisis (e.g. climate change) shape consumer’s perceptions and attitudes towards sustainable food consumption. Furthermore, we want to explore how against the background of the climate crisis, e.g. the COVID-19 pandemic has shaped sustainable food practices. The closures of canteens, cafés, and restaurants and feared shortages in food supplies, put the topic of nutrition into public focus and altered the way food supplies had to be made during lock downs. In Germany, for example, there was a rise in buying more organic food products, in particular among the wealthy urban middle-class, alongside an increase of ordering takeaway and online grocery deliveries, which increased carbon emissions and waste. Given such paradoxical outcomes some identified the pandemic as an opportunity for sustainable transformations within food production, whilst others warned against rising inequalities during the pandemic that made sustainable consumption a luxury for the rich. In the aftermath of the pandemic and after the outbreak of the Russian war against Ukraine, the world experiences high rates of inflation that explode the costs of living, again jeopardising potential windows of opportunity for sustainable food transformations that emerged in the context of the Covid-19 crisis, and potentially further increasing inequalities. Finally, we encourage paper submissions that explore how the role and relationship of consumers-sellers-producers is altered during times of crisis and attend to alternative practices that emerged in time of crisis (e.g. food sharing schemes; food-waste reduction apps etc.).

For this session we invite papers that make conceptual or empirical contributions to the topic. In line with this year’s conference theme, we are also looking forward to include papers that draw on creative methods (e.g. participatory, visual or sensory accounts of food practices in times of crisis) to address some of the below questions:

How can we theorise the impacts of multiple- / planetary-/ poly- /overlapping- crises on sustainable food consumption?
How do crises affect people’s perception of sustainable consumption?
How do providers and producers of sustainable food experience multiple crises? Do these crises represent opportunities or challenges for the supply side?
Do crisis affect sustainable food practices and if so: how do these effects take form?
What role does the type of crisis (e.g. health/ financial, environmental or short-term shock, long-term crisis) play for potentially altered food practices?
How do crises affect inequalities in sustainable food consumption?
To what extent does the socio-spatial context influence the impacts of crises on sustainable food consumption?
How can we account for times of turbulence and rupture within our research designs methodologically and theoretically?
How do creative methods help us to better understand such ruptures?
Under which conditions can crises act as a catalyst for more sustainable food practices?
What types of political actors can mediate crisis situations effectively to foster practices of sustainable consumption in times of crises?
What kind of politics are needed to enhance sustainable food consumption practices in turbulent times for all parts of society?

Please send an abstract of no more than 250 words and up to 5 keywords to Leonie Tuitjer: tuitjer@uni-bremen.de by Feb 10th 2025.
Please include your name, e-mail and affiliation with the abstract. Please note: We are planning this session for IN-PERSON only.

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Call for content for the next edition of What’s Cooking

The next edition of What’s Cooking will be mid-March. Please send content (research updates, calls for expression of interest, relevant calls for papers/conference/event announcements) by Tuesday 11 March via this Google Form.

SHUFood blog

Interested in writing a blog post? These are usually 800-1200 words and written for a general audience in an informal style. Blogs can revisit work you’ve already done (e.g., highlighting a recent output/publication); discuss research or research-related activities (teaching, public engagement, etc.) that you are working on; offer your informed take on contemporary food/drink issues or policy; provide a profile on your research. If you’d like to contribute a piece, please get in touch with Jen (j.smith1@shu.ac.uk).

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Filed under Diet and health, eating behaviour, plant-based foods, research, SHARe Sheffield Hallam Appetite Research, sustainability, Uncategorized, What's Cooking?

by Jennifer Smith Maguire | January 5, 2025 · 7:15 pm

Reminder – call for content for the next What’s Cooking

Dear all:

Call for content for the next edition of What’s Cooking

The next edition of What’s Cooking will be mid-January. Please send content (research updates, calls for expression of interest, relevant calls for papers/conference/event announcements) by Tuesday 14 January via this Google Form.

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by Jennifer Smith Maguire | December 2, 2024 · 5:12 pm

Time to spruce up our member page!

Dear SHUFoodies –

We’ve had some new subscribers recently (prompted by winding down the former Jisc email list), which is great!

The time is ripe for a refresh of our Members page. Check out the list below, and please submit information via this form.

Members

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by Jennifer Smith Maguire | November 14, 2024 · 9:59 pm

What’s Cooking, November 2024

In our last edition of What’s Cooking, we announced the exciting news that we’re joining forces with the National Centre of Excellence for Food Engineering (NCEFE). Since then, more excitement! On 16 October, NCEFE marked its five year anniversary of research, innovation and knowledge exchange (RIKE) that is tackling the challenges of a sustainable food system (check out the great overview of the event here). Coupled with the event, NCEFE has announced its evolution into the Advanced Food Innovation Centre (AFIC), focused on problem-led, collaborative innovation for food and drink systems and sectors. Stay tuned for more information on how to get involved with AFIC as a co-locator!

Below, we have:

updates on recent outputs and activities from our clusters and members, including an update on ‘Cook and Connect’, a fantastic SHUFood contribution, led by Jordan Beaumont in collaboration with colleagues at University of Sheffield, to the 2024 ESRC Festival of Social Science;
resources and calls for papers;
the usual call for contributions and content for the mid-January 2025 edition of What’s Cooking. The deadline for submissions (research news and updates, calls for expression of interest, relevant calls for papers/conference/event announcements) to Google Form by Tuesday 14 January.

Cheers,
The SHUFood Team!

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Cluster Updates

Cook and Connect – Festival of Social Sciences (FOSS) 2024

Jordan Beaumont, on behalf of SHUFood, co-organised an event for this year’s FOSS in collaboration with colleagues in the Co-Centre for Sustainable Food Systems and the Institute of Sustainable Food over at University of Sheffield. The event centred around cooking classes with a focus on healthy, sustainable and accessible recipes – all using lentils as the base ingredient. The classes were open to members of the general public, with one focussing on SEND students and care leavers. The event brought together the shared interests of the SHUFood sub-clusters – fibre and satiety (SHARe), ways to use surplus food (SWEFS), and bringing participants together to share a meal and talk all things food (CHEFS).

The event was well attended and participants loved exploring all things lentil! Feedback from participants:

Fantastic that you are encouraging use of healthy food that is sustainable, it needs to be prompted far & wide!
Event was excellent, really well organised & we made 2 different dishes to take away & I didn’t expect all of this but was a pleasant surprise.
A cooking class is a totally different/novel activity for me given I don’t do proper cooking so far at home.
I didn’t know how to use lentils and thought they were difficult (had to soak them) and were bland. I’ve found out how to use them and that they are really tasty.
It’s been a really good course today. Well organised, friendly & informative. I’ve had a great time and learnt something new.

Updates from the SHUFood chat

The team working on the NIHR-funded project around the scale and scope of dark kitchens (Jordan Beaumont, Lucie Nield, Claire Wall, Rachel Rundle, Jo Pearce, Simon Bowles, Helen Martin and David Harness) are working hard on writing up the data for publication – their first paper has just been published in NIHR Open Research, with two further manuscripts in the works. Jordan is also working with three recent graduates – Rosie Wyld, Tina Reimann and Andrew Dolphin – to publish their dissertation work around obesity and weight management.

Claire Wall and Jo Pearce are working on a project with Impact on Urban Health and Bremner & Co to explore food provision and consumption in early years settings within Lambeth and Southwark. This is a great continuation of their recent work exploring food provisions and packed lunches in Sheffield, which they hoping to return to soon and finish off the final data analysis and write up.

Thouseena Ajmal is currently working on her PhD, which explores AI-enabled hyperspectral imaging for meat and seafood quality assessment (supervised by Caroline Millman, Helen Martin and Alex Shenfield [DoS]). Thouseena also presented at the recent Institute for Food Science and Technology (IFST) conference, on Is this meat safe to eat? Exploring AI-enhanced hyperspectral imaging (HSI) for meat quality control by color profiling and hazard identification.

Sam Greenstreet has just started as a Graduate Teaching Assistant (having only just completed a MSc in Nutrition with Obesity and Weight Management at Hallam), working alongside Jordan Beaumont (DoS), Rachel Marsden and Peter Schofield. Sam’s research will explore food addiction in older adults, incorporating mixed methods approaches and featuring elements of weight management and non-invasive brain stimulation. Keep your eyes peeled for many exciting updates to come!

Megan Flint has just started the fourth year of her GTA exploring plant-based meat alternatives, supervised by Tony Lynn (DoS), Simon Bowles, and Jenny Paxman. The work has delved into consumer perceptions of these products, exploring drivers and barriers influencing adoption and applying segmentation theory. Meg is in the process of writing up this data, and has an additional paper around sensory evaluation of plant-based meat alternatives currently under review. This study explored consumer acceptability and sensory properties, and how prior exposure/regularity of consumption impacts response to the products. Meg and the team are conducting bench-based analysis to compare the nutritional information on food packaging to the actual composition of the foods.

Jess Limb is currently working with colleagues at NCEFE around smart and sustainable packaging in collaboration with a Yorkshire-based manufacturer. She is also part of a RIPEN-funded project with Caroline Millman and Susie Jones looking at the impact of salt reduction in bread, and recently presented further work (with Susie) at the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) around bakery products going into schools.

Jen Smith Maguire has been pulling together a fantastic book titled Towards an Eliasian Understanding of Food in the 21st Century. Chapter proofs are in, and the book will be released later this year.

Sam McCormick is very close to starting the third year of the PhD exploring the hospital foodscape for immigrant nurses. The work explores how nurses navigate the food environment, using co-production techniques to understand what environments would better serve their needs. Sam has been exploring the social determinants of health, and the team have just received ethical approval (yay!), so can now start to categorise the food environment within the general NHS setting before continuing on to focus on the nursing profession.

Belinda Zakrzewska is pleased to announce the publication of a paper from her dissertation in Organization Studies: “Cultural appreciation and appropriation in the crafting of the new Peruvian cuisine”. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/01708406241298393 You can hear Belinda talk about the research in this CHEFS paired paper session from June 2022. (Full details on our past events page.)

PUBLICATIONS

Badjona, A., Bradshaw, R., Millman, C., Howarth, M., & Dubey, B. (2024). Optimization of ultrasound-assisted extraction of faba bean protein isolate: Structural, functional, and thermal properties. Part 2/2. Ultrasonics sonochemistry, 110. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ultsonch.2024.107030

Badjona, A., Bradshaw, R., Millman, C., Howarth, M., & Dubey, B. (2024). Response surface methodology guided approach for optimization of protein isolate from Faba bean. Part 1/2. Ultrasonics Sonochemistry, 109. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ultsonch.2024.107012

Beaumont, J., & Sreelekha, V.N. (2024). The Influence of Nutrition Knowledge on the Self-Regulation of Eating. The Student Journal of Service Sector Management Research, 1(3), 37-53. https://studentjournals.shu.ac.uk/index.php/SJSSM/article/view/154

Beaumont, J. (2024). Eating Behaviour: From “Normal” to Disordered Eating”. Nursing Standard. http://doi.org/10.7748/ns.2024.e12354

Hamza, M., Edwards, R.C., Beaumont, J., De Pretto, L., & Torn, A. (2024). Access to Natural Green Spaces and their Associations with Psychological Wellbeing for South Asian People in the UK: A Systematic Literature Review. Social Science & Medicine, 359. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.117265

Javed, T., Oluwole-ojo, O., Zhang, H., Akmal, M., Breikin, T., & O’Brien, A. (2024). System Design, Modelling, Energy Analysis, and Industrial Applications of Ohmic Heating Technology. Food and Bioprocess Technology. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-024-03568-w

Javed, T., Oluwole-Ojo, O.N., Howarth, M., Xu, X., Rashvand, M., & Zhang, H. (2024). Application of Advanced Process Control to a Continuous Flow Ohmic Heater: A Case Study with Tomato Basil Sauce. Applied Sciences, 14 (19). http://doi.org/10.3390/app14198740

Nield, L., Martin, H., Wall, C., Pearce, J., Rundle, R., Bowles, S., Harness, D., & Beaumont, J.D. (2024). Consumer knowledge of and engagement with traditional takeaway and dark kitchen food outlets. NIHR Open Research, 4. http://doi.org/10.3310/nihropenres.13735.1

Rashvand, M., Nadimi, M., Paliwal, J., Zhang, H., & Feyissa, A.H. (2024). Effect of Pulsed Electric Field on the Drying Kinetics of Apple Slices during Vacuum-Assisted Microwave Drying: Experimental, Mathematical and Computational Intelligence Approaches. Applied Sciences, 14 (17). http://doi.org/10.3390/app14177861

PRESENTATIONS

Ajmal, T., Shenfield, A., & Heris, M.K. (2024). Exploring AI-enhanced hyperspectral imaging (HSI) for meat quality control by color profiling and hazard identification. Presented at: Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) Autumn Conference, University of Leeds

Beaumont, J., & Nield, L. (2024). “We’re one small piece of the puzzle”: Evaluating the impact of short-term funding for tier two weight management services. Presented at: Yorkshire Obesity Research Alliance (YORA) Conference, Leeds Beckett University

Beaumont, J. (2024). Weight Management in the UK: A tug of war that nobody is winning. Presented at: Responsible Consumption and Sustainable Lives Seminar Series, Sheffield Hallam University

Limb, J., & Jones, S. (2024). Bakery sugar reduction in South Yorkshire Secondary Schools – A KTP Case study. Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) Autumn Conference, University of Leeds

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Resources and Calls for Papers

SHUFood Research Chats are monthly online meetings that offer a space to talk all things research: showcase work, provide updates, discuss plans, explore collaborations… You can bring along updates to share, or just come along to see what everyone else is up to—all are welcome. Next date: Tuesday 10 December 2024, 14:30 to 15:30 Please email Dr Jordan Beaumont (j.beaumont@shu.ac.uk) if you need more information. Open to all Hallam SHUFood and NCEFE staff and PGR students. Join the Teams meeting here.

Pinot Noir and Identity Symposium (30 November deadline)

The Pinot Noir and Identity Symposium, 10-11 July 2025, University of Oxford, St Cross College, is the inaugural event organised by the Pinot Noir Project – a hub for knowledge exchange bringing researchers from a wide range of disciplines together with wine makers and industry representatives for collaboration, consultation and participation focused on this grape variety. Our first international symposium aims to bring attention to Pinot Noir’s unique place in the world of wine by examining how Pinot Noir’s identity has been constructed over the centuries. We invite researchers to explore not only the origins and evolution of its status, reputation, and mythology, but also to envisage how these aspects of its identity might be reconstructed in new environmental and commercial contexts.
Submission deadline: 30th November 2024
Acceptance notification by: 31st January 2025
Registration opens: 1st February 2025
Early Bird registration deadline: 1st May 2025
Final registration deadline: 1st June 2025

Submissions (papers, work-in-progress papers, practitioner reflections) are welcome, as are contributions from any discipline. All submissions should primarily address the social, cultural or historical aspects of the wine’s production and consumption to enable interdisciplinary discussion and knowledge exchange. Further information including submission guidelines can be found at: https://www.thepinotnoirproject.org/events-2-1.
For any questions or further information, please contact thepinotnoirproject@gmail.com

Rooted in Agroecology and Food Sovereignty – call for contributions

Rooted is a new international magazine (first issue on Policy-making for Agroecology here), featuring frontline experiences and perspectives from farmer leaders, indigenous people, researchers, and advocates, and foregrounding a transformative approach to food systems change. The next issue will be on the link between health and agroecology – please see the call for contributions here.

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Call for content for the next edition of What’s Cooking

SHUFood blog

Want to stay updated? Follow us on X: @SHUFood. You can also subscribe to the blog and/or join our Jisc email list: see information on the very bottom of each SHUFood blog page.

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by Jennifer Smith Maguire | May 14, 2024 · 8:16 pm

What’s Cooking, May 2024

The highlight of the past two months was surely 24th April, with an all-day bonanza showcasing Sheffield Hallam food-focused students and staff. This included the ‘Food Z’ All Student Conference (featuring speakers Selina Treuherz from ShefFood, Nicola Davies from New Food Innovation, and Jessica Martin from Inspired Global Cuisine), a farewell event for our final year Food and Nutrition/Human Nutrition and Health/Nutrition, Diet and Wellbeing students, and events with professional bodies IFST and Nutrition Society (including a talk from CEO Mark Hollingsworth). We wrapped up the day with an external facing ‘SHUFood Discourse‘ event that put three fabulous speakers into multi-disciplinary conversation about their food research: Graham Finlayson (University of Leeds) on the topic of sugar replacement and appetite, Megan Blake (University of Sheffield) on the ontological status of surplus food, and Benedetta Cappellini (Durham University) on foodcare and mothers’ food practices. Huge thanks to Sheffield Business School (and the ‘responsible consumption and sustainable lives’ theme) for financial support for the event. You can read all about the day in this blog post, written by two of our marvellous ‘Food and Nutrition Student Champions,’ Iman Batrisyia and Macy Wong, both 3rd Year BSc Food and Nutrition students. We’re so proud of, and grateful to our F&N Student Champions, who have been vital partners in all of our events this year!

April also saw the launch of online SHUFood chats, a recurrent series of drop-in meetings aimed at Sheffield-based SHUFood members. Organised and hosted by Jordan Beaumont, the meetings are informal opportunities to come together, share our ongoing research, discuss successes and challenges, troubleshoot and sense check ideas, explore collaboration…and chat about anything to do with research! Details about the next chat on 3rd June can be found below (in the ‘Resources and Calls for Papers’ section). Huge thanks to Jordan for keeping this F&N tradition alive, and for capturing all the amazing updates for this newsletter.

Lastly: Gareth Roberts, one of our intrepid food-focused GTA PhD students here at Hallam, has recently updated on his PhD journey: check out his blog post here. This latest instalment spans the relativity of time, exciting recent highlights in Sheffield’s sustainable food scene from Gareth’s unique vantage point, and the ongoing development of his PhD research including (as is so often the case) embracing the serendipity of finding your research focus.

Below, we have:

updates on recent outputs and activities from our clusters and members;
resources and calls for papers (including a link for the next SHUFood Research Chat, 3 June);
the usual call for contributions and content for the mid-July 2024 edition of What’s Cooking. The deadline for submissions (research news and updates, calls for expression of interest, relevant calls for papers/conference/event announcements) to Google Form by Monday 15 July.

Cheers,
The SHUFood Team!

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Updates

Caroline Westwood was recently invited to speak at the Welsh Annual Conference for the Association of Show and Agricultural Organisations (ASAO) which is the trade body and ‘voice of agricultural show industry’. The attendees were show organisers, show managers, operations managers representing all sizes of shows across Wales. This annual event highlights best practice and addresses challenges within the sector with all things related to agricultural events across Wales. Caroline spoke about her research which focuses on the experience of attendees at these events, the importance and value they place on attendance and how these events have been a vital platform, connecting the non-farming community and general public with food and farming. Research suggests these are the key elements of these events the attendees really value, to understand where food comes from and learn more about the agricultural industry in the UK. Caroline continues to work with various rural events across the UK to conduct research at their events, investigating all aspects of these events.

In April the Food and Nutrition subject group, led by Jenny Paxman, held a fantastic foodie development day – packed with exciting events including the Food and Nutrition All Student Conference, PSRB events, SHUFood Annual Discourse and networking opportunities – bringing together students, academics and industry experts. Check out the event blog post written by our fantastic Food and Nutrition Student Champions, Macy Wong and Iman Batrisyia.

There are lots of exciting collaborative projects on the go, involving colleagues from across and SHU, SHUFood and beyond!

A NIHR-funded project exploring the scope and scale of dark kitchens, led by Jordan Beaumont and Lucie Nield, working with Helen Martin, Simon Bowles, Jo Pearce, Claire Wall, Rachel Rundle and David Harness, is in full swing. Currently interviewing dark kitchen owners and managers (led by Helen and David), which is proving interesting and exciting, with a few trips down a rabbit hole… They have recently completed data collection for an online survey around consumer perceptions of dark kitchens and are now looking to run focus groups to further explore perceptions (led by Jordan and Lucie). Also running an online survey (led by Jo and Rachel) and follow-up interviews (led by Claire and Simon) with planning, environmental health and public health teams within local authorities across Yorkshire and the Humber and the North West. Lots of really interesting data being collected!

Caroline Millman is currently deep into a sabbatical and focussing on getting research done, amongst trying (despite being thwarted at every turn) to get the RIPEN-funded project looking at chickpea flour and impact on satiety and glucose response up and running – Anna Sorsby is doing an amazing job at keeping things on track – currently recruiting a casual research associate to support the work. Also working on a lot of cheese with the Natures Richness Group and FermIQ and sauces for Premier, not to mention trying to get things tidied and sorted for the apprenticeship research work.

Helen, along with a colleague at Edge Hill, just resubmitted a paper on food and alcohol disturbance (FAD) to Public Health Nutrition. Plans are also in motion for a project on the back of January’s BTE Red Day – working with Antonio Feteira, Hywel Jones, Dean Maragh, Emily Moorlock and Christine O’Leary – focussing on reducing excess food and electronic waste; they’re looking to organise an event in July to bring together external stakeholders, using their expertise and knowledge on the ground, to help with idea generation in preparation for bid funding.

Jordan, David, Pallavi Singh, Ruth Whiteside, Amanze Ejiogu, Hessam Jahangiri, and Freselam Kassa are working on a project around surplus food/food waste, which also came out of the BTE Red Day in January.

Megan Flint is in the midst of revising a paper for phase two of the PhD, focussing on sensory analysis of meat-based products and plant-based meat alternatives (with Jenny Paxman, Simon Bowles and Tony Lynn), looking to target Food Quality and Preference and hoping to submit soon. Megan is also continuing analysis on phase one of the PhD, which explores consumer perceptions and drivers/barriers of meat and plant-based meat alternatives using different segmentation theories to explore whether different population groups experience different drivers/barriers to engagement with these products. On to the results, which is involving lots of SPSS.

Jenny is enjoying reading Meg’s paper while trying to decide what samples to send for bench-based analysis of plant-based burger products (with Meg, Simon and Tony) and planning next year’s dissertation allocation. Still awaiting outcome of a very exciting Horizon bid with lots of EU collaborators, and chatting with colleagues at Cambridge Street Collective – hoping to don a hard hat to visit the team and explore potential future collaborations. Exploring a ESRC/FOSS event with SHUFood cluster leads (Jen Smith Maguire, Jordan and Pallavi), bringing on board lots of exciting partners… more detail coming soon!

Jo Pearce and Claire Wall have launched into their latest work looking at packed lunches in early year settings. Currently going out to schools to record food consumption, which is proving an intensive data collection period, going into schools every day. The final paper from their prior study, which estimates greenhouse gas emissions from meal provisions in early years settings using the Food Print add on for Nutritics, has been provisionally accepted in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. Unfortunately, they were unsuccessful with a recent NIHR grant application exploring food provision in special schools. Jo is also revisiting a paper with a former colleague at Nottingham, which explore maternal and infant (6-12 months) dietary intake. With a particular focus on iodine, baby-led weaning and consumption during the complementary feeding period, the paper will potentially explore whether mother’s micronutrient intake predicts the infant’s micronutrient intake.

Jordan, Lucie and Elysa Ioannou (along with two masters students and an external collaborator) have had a paper accepted by Frontiers in Public Health on the evaluation of short-term funding in tier two weight management services in Yorkshire and the Humber. Jordan has a further two further manuscripts under review, one on disordered eating and the other around access/use of natural green space and impact on psychological wellbeing in South Asian populations.

A study looking at the effects of combined transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and inhibitory training on eating behaviour and food consumption in those with mild-to-moderate binge eating behaviour, which is a continuation of Jordan’s PhD research and makes good use of internal research funding. The project involves external collaborators with some exciting future plans for this work, including playing with GIANT datasets…

Jordan, Lucie and a range of collaborators are taking a “deep dive” into the lived experience of obesity of minoritised groups. Funded by the Hallam Fund, this project looks to recruit up to 20 individuals with lived experience of obesity who are from ethnic, gender or sexual minority groups to complete a semi-structured interview and focus groups.

Jordan, Lucie and Pallavi are looking to validate the Nutrition Literacy (NLIT) questionnaire in an adolescent population; data collection is almost complete (just waiting for the final participants to complete their second questionnaire), and soon onto analysis.

Jenny and Jordan are working on a plethora of studies around food addiction – currently recruiting participants for a survey exploring perceptions of food addiction (feel free to complete: https://shusls.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eKClPRb4PiJXejc), recruited an intern to conduct a systematic review, and have shortlisted GTA candidates (interviews at the end of the month).

Hayley Grinter, Pallavi and Rachel Marsden are working on a pilot study exploring behaviours around food waste of families with children who are neurodiverse – considering priorities, thoughts and attitudes around food waste. The study will involve interviewing parents or carers from 10 households. Recruitment is starting tomorrow (keep an eye out and please share!) with potential next steps being explored.

PUBLICATIONS
Badjona, A., Bradshaw, R., Millman, C., Howarth, M., & Dubey, B. (2024). Structural, thermal, and physicochemical properties of ultrasound-assisted extraction of faba bean protein isolate (FPI). Journal of Food Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2024.112082

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Resources and Calls for Papers

SHUFood Research Chats are monthly online meetings that offer a space to talk all things research: showcase work, provide updates, discuss plans, explore collaborations… You can bring along updates to share, or just come along to see what everyone else is up to—all are welcome. Please email Dr Jordan Beaumont (j.beaumont@shu.ac.uk) if you need more information. The next SHUFood chat will be Monday, 03 June, 16:00 to 17:00. Open to all Hallam staff and PGR students who are members of the SHUFood clusters. Join the Teams meeting here.

Prof. Dianne Dean, Dr Pallavi Singh and Dr Scott Jones are editing a special issue of the Journal of Marketing Management, on ‘Ignored or Invisible: Challenges to recruiting and researching members of marginalised communities’ – if you have any work with marginalised communities, consider submitting! Deadline is 29 July 2024. The journal’s call for papers has more information here: https://www.jmmnews.com/marginalised-communities/

Calls for papers for upcoming special issues in Appetite:

Food insecurity, obesity and the cost-of-living crisis (deadline 30 June 2024)
The effects of climate change on food intake, appetite and dietary choices (deadline 30 August 2024)

More info: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/appetite/about/call-for-papers

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Call for content for the next edition of What’s Cooking

The next edition of What’s Cooking will be mid-July. Please send content (research updates, calls for expression of interest, relevant calls for papers/conference/event announcements) by Monday 15 July via this Google Form.

SHUFood blog
Interested in writing a blog post? These are usually 800-1200 words and written for a general audience in an informal style. Blogs can revisit work you’ve already done (e.g., highlighting a recent output/publication); discuss research or research-related activities (teaching, public engagement, etc.) that you are working on; offer your informed take on contemporary food/drink issues or policy; provide a profile on your research. If you’d like to contribute a piece, please get in touch with Jen (j.smith1@shu.ac.uk).

Want to stay updated? Follow us on X: @SHUFood. You can also subscribe to the blog and/or join our Jisc email list: see information on the very bottom of each SHUFood blog page.

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Filed under appetite, eating behaviour, research, surplus waste & excess food in society, sustainability, Uncategorized, What's Cooking?

by Jennifer Smith Maguire | May 13, 2024 · 2:04 pm

A celebration of HallamFood!

The 24^th of April marked an extraordinary day for HallamFood, with a plethora of enriching events and extra-curricular development activities co-designed by students and academics. This was a testament to collaboration, innovation and a shared passion for all things related to food and nutrition!

We kickstarted the morning with the “Food Z” All Student Conference 2024. This year, the conference explored topics essential to Gen Z and was delivered by 3 fabulous speakers. Selina Treuherz from ShefFood addressed on Fairer, Healthier, Greener: Developing Local Food Policy in Sheffield. Nicola Davies from New Food Innovation talked about Plant-based Food Innovation. Jessica Martin from Inspired Global Cuisine addressed on Food Access in the Cost of Living Crisis. Their invaluable insights truly shed light on pressing societal challenges and discussions on potential solutions, inspiring us to make a positive impact. During the short coffee break, we sampled delicious entries from the Baking Competition hosted by the Food and Nutrition Society (FANs).

Lead Organiser: Jenny Paxman, Food and Nutrition Subject Group Leader

Following up next was our Level 6 Farewell Event for Food and Nutrition/Human Nutrition and Health/Nutrition, Diet and Wellbeing students. Together, they gathered to reflect on their incredible academic journey, celebrate their achievements and forge lasting connections with each other. There was also an informal prize giving among students. A huge congratulations to those who were nominated!

We also had professional bodies IFST and NS membership events. The IFST event focused on the food industry competencies, including the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed for a career in the food industry. For the Nutrition Society event, we are proud to have CEO Mark Hollingsworth presenting leadership and visions throughout nutrition, building sustainable networks as well as fostering member engagement.

Finally, was the highly anticipated Annual Discourse and Networking Event organised by SHUFood, an esteemed alliance comprising CHEFS, SHARe, and SWEFS. This premier gathering served as a dynamic platform, bringing together passionate individuals from diverse food-related backgrounds to engage in thought-provoking discussions and forge valuable connections.

The event featured captivating presentations from renowned experts in the field. Professor Graham Finlayson from the University of Leeds shed light on the intricate relationship between sweeteners, sugar replacements, and appetite. Dr. Megan Blake from the University of Sheffield explored the multifaceted nature of surplus food, while Professor Benedetta Cappellini from Durham University offered insightful reflections on intensive feeding practices and their implications across different contexts.

Beyond the stimulating discourses, the Networking Event provided attendees with ample opportunities to network, exchange ideas, and explore potential collaborations within the vibrant food research community. This gathering solidified SHUFood’s commitment to fostering knowledge-sharing, promoting professional growth, and advancing the food industry through a more conscious and responsible approach.

Iman Batrisyia: BSc Food and Nutrition (3rd Year)
Macy Wong: BSc Food and Nutrition (3rd Year)

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by Jennifer Smith Maguire | March 12, 2024 · 9:52 am

What’s Cooking, March 2024

We’re delighted to announce something new for Hallam-based SHUFood members: SHUFood Research Chats! These monthly online meetings offer a space to talk all things research: showcase work, provide updates, discuss plans, explore collaborations… They have evolved from the Food and Nutrition subject group’s long and happy history of research chats, and we’re looking forward to welcoming a wider SHUFood group! You can bring along updates to share, or just come along to see what everyone else is up to—all are welcome. The first SHUFood chat will be on Wednesday 10 April (15:30 to 16:30) via MS Teams. If you’re interested, please email Dr Jordan Beaumont (j.beaumont@shu.ac.uk) for more information and a calendar invite.

We’re busily preparing for 24 April, when we’ll be holding our SHUFood Annual Discourse event (2-5pm on campus). We’re excited to be hosting three fabulous speakers who reflect our three SHUFood themes: Professor Graham Finlayson (University of Leeds) will be talking about sugar replacement and appetite, Dr Megan Blake (University of Sheffield) will be talking about the ontological status of surplus food, and Professor Benedetta Cappellini (Durham University) will be talking about foodcare and mothers’ food practices. Full details to come on the SHUFood Events page. We’re also inviting all SHUFood researchers from any career stage to share existing research posters as part of the event—see details below in the ‘Resources and Calls for Papers’ section.

Finally, some exciting local news: Sheffield has been awarded the Silver Sustainable Food Places award! We’re very proud to be a named organisation on the application, and delighted that so many SHUFood and Sheffield Hallam colleagues are actively contributing to making Sheffield a more sustainable food place.

Below, we have:

updates on recent outputs and activities from our clusters and members;
resources and calls for papers (including a call for research participants for a study of food addiction);
the usual call for contributions and content for the mid-May 2024 edition of What’s Cooking. Our newsletter has moved to alternate mid-months: the deadline for submissions (research news and updates, calls for expression of interest, relevant calls for papers/conference/event announcements) to Google Form by Monday 13 May.

Cheers,
The SHUFood Team!

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Cluster Updates

Jenny Paxman (RNutr Food) has been been awarded a prestigious Association for Nutrition (AfN) Fellowship, joining a limited number of leading Registered Nutritionists to have been conferred the title. AfN fellows are recognised for their high standards of professional leadership and significant and sustained contribution to the advancement of nutrition regulation, practice, research or education at a national or international level. Applications for fellowship are rigorously a peer reviewed and must be supported by both Committee and Council. Jenny is Subject Group Leader for Food and Nutrition, a core member of the SHUFood leadership team, abnd SHUFood SHARe researcher. We’re super proud of her!

Jenny Paxman recently participated in a Nutrition Society Roundtable: Differentiating fungi-derived proteins – is there a role for a fungal protein category within food based dietary guidelines (FBDG) and how is this best communicated? This member-led meeting kicked off with presentations from experts in the field. Dr Emma Derbyshire from Nutritional Insight explored ‘Fungi vs plants: taxonomy, nutritional value, role in the diet and representation in food-based dietary guidelines around the world’ highlighting the different approaches taken globally. Prof. Benjamin Wall (University of Exeter) went on to share some of the trials evidence exploring effects on muscle anabolism, cardio metabolic health and the microbiome. The final presentation prior to discussion was from Prof. Paul Thomas (University of Stirling) who presented insights into the sustainability credentials of fungi-derived proteins. The live-streamed presentations and subsequent debate sought to answer seven key questions and lively discussion followed. Look out for the published summary paper in due course.

Lucie Nield, Jordan Beaumont, Rachel Rundle, Simon Bowles, Helen Martin, Claire Wall, Jo Pearce and David Harness have received a NIHR Application Development Award to run a study exploring the scale and scope of dark kitchens (food outlets with no customer-facing storefront who sell food exclusively through online platforms for delivery only) across the north of England. The project will work with consumers, local authorities and dark kitchen businesses to explore perceptions of “dark kitchens” and current approaches to identifying and regulating these businesses.

Dr Jordan Beaumont was invited to give a guest lecture to psychology students and academics at Christ University (India). The lecture – Eating Behaviour: From “Normal” to Disordered Eating – provided an overview of Jordan’s research, and served as an opportunity to overview some of the collaborative work between Sheffield Hallam and Christ University.

Jennifer Smith Maguire will be participating in the ‘Workshop on Leisure & Consumption of Economic Elites’ in late March: a fully funded, closed workshop of 13 invited papers taking place at the University of Amsterdam. Jen’s workshop contribution examines the role of elite cultural intermediaries in shaping elite taste preferences and practices, and their utility as an empirical entry point for studying elite consumption dispositions. The working paper analyses media representations of biodynamic and natural wine over a twenty-year timespan, highlighting how these forms of ‘weird wine’ become conventional yet retain their insecure status as objects of legitimate, discerning consumption. Jen’s also part of a special session on ‘Consumer Culture Insights into Brands and their Heritage’ at the CCT 2024 conference, where she’ll be presenting a paper examining natural wines and the aesthetics of provenance.

Publications:

Flint, M., Leroy, F., Bowles, S., Lynn, A. & Paxman, J. (2024). The acceptability and sensory attributes of plant-based burger products under open and closed label conditions [abstract only]. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 82 (OCE5), E278-E278. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0029665123003774

Fowler-Davis, S., Benkowitz, C., Nield, L. & Dayson, C. (2024). Green Spaces and the Impact on Cognitive Frailty; a scoping review. Frontiers in Public Health, 11:1278542. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1278542

Hawkins, A., & Rundle, R. (2024). School Food Hero and the Battle of the Food Foe: a story of public health policy, power imbalance and potential. Social Science and Medicine, 342. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116520

Lynn, A., Shaw, C., Sorsby, A., Ashworth, P., Hanif, F., Williams, C., & Ranchordas, M. (2024). Caffeine gum improves 5 km running performance in recreational runners completing parkrun events. European Journal of Nutrition. http://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-024-03349-3

Nield, L. (2024). “I Prefer Eating Less Than Eating Healthy”: Drivers of Food Choice in a Sample of Muslim Adolescents. Adolescents, 4 (1), 41-61. https://doi.org/10.3390/adolescents4010004

Nield, L., Thelwell, M., Chan, A., Choppin, S. & Marshall, S. (2024). Patient perceptions of three-dimensional (3D) surface imaging technology and traditional methods used to assess anthropometry. Obesity Pillars, 100100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obpill.2024.100100

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Resources and Calls for Papers

SHUFood Research Chats are monthly online meetings that offer a space to talk all things research: showcase work, provide updates, discuss plans, explore collaborations… You can bring along updates to share, or just come along to see what everyone else is up to—all are welcome. Please email Dr Jordan Beaumont (j.beaumont@shu.ac.uk) for more information and a calendar invite. The next SHUFood chat will be Wednesday 10 April (15:30 to 16:30).

Food Addiction Research: Participants Needed!
We’re looking to understand how people feel about ‘food addiction.’ The term ‘food addiction’ is widely used in popular culture including on social media. We would like to better understand how different people perceive ‘food addiction’ (no matter what viewpoint they have). As much of the current research under-represents certain groups or communities, we would like to hear from any adult (over 18 years), irrespective of demographic characteristics or how you identify. We believe that having a clear understanding about how people feel about ‘food addiction’ (no matter what viewpoint they have), will help improve future research in this area that could have an impact on weight management strategies and services. Please complete the very short (10-15 min) survey via: https://lnkd.in/eKamgJCc Please share amongst your networks – we hope to reach as many people as possible and represent as diverse a range of individuals as we can.

Have you presented a SHUFood-relevant academic poster recently? Share it again!
All SHUFood researchers from any career stage are invited to share an existing research poster as part of the SHUFood Annual Discourse research showcase (24 April). Please send e-posters to j.r.paxman@shu.ac.uk or, if you have a physical copy of your poster, please email so we can arrange to collect this from you in the week before the event. We are trying to avoid waste by printing twice. We are interested in:

Food and drink storytelling, discourse, and ritual
Urban/regional food/ drink development (e.g., via wine and food tourism)
Inequalities, social justice, and sustainability of food/ drink
Institutional food settings (e.g., school lunches)
Attitudes towards food waste
Cost and management of food waste
Social, political, and economic impacts of overconsumption and food waste
Appetite regulation and modulation
Eating behaviour
Hedonics, food and feeding
Obesity and weight management
Sensory analysis

We aim to showcase as many posters as possible but can’t guarantee we can share them all.

Identities and Diversity Research Cluster: Seminar Series call – extended deadline (31 March)
We are pleased to share a call for papers for a new online seminar series of the Identities & Diversity cluster of the Drinking Studies Network, which will start mid-2024. The cluster focuses on alcohol’s relationship to the formation, performance, representation and regulation of different identities in historical, contemporary and cross-cultural settings. If you are interested in presenting in the seminar series, please email Samantha Wilkinson Samantha.wilkinson@mmu.ac.uk and Deborah Toner dt151@le.ac.uk by 31 March with your name and affiliation, presentation title, and a brief summary of your presentation (up to 200 words). The aim is to run an online seminar every three months, with two or three presenters in each panel, commencing in May/June 2024. We envisage the seminars running for 60 to 90 minutes: 20 minutes presentation time for each presenter, and 10 minutes Q&A for each presenter – though this is very flexible, and we welcome suggestions for alternative format from presenters. Please specify in your submission if you are proposing a different format. You can find out more about the cluster here: Identities and Diversity – Drinking Studies Network (wordpress.com).

Public House 2030: Will pubs still be here at the end of the decade? (register by 19 April)
‘Public House 2030’ is a one-day workshop aimed at examining the future of UK pubs. Hosted by Newcastle Business School at Northumbria University Newcastle in collaboration with the Beeronomics Society, and supported by Campaign for Pubs, the event will bring together people from the sector to discuss the changes affecting pubs, the different business models in the industry, and the impact of their decline of local economies and communities. Chaired by Professor Ignazio Cabras, head of accounting and financial management at Northumbria University Newcastle, the workshop features notable speakers including Grahame Morris MP, Dr. Liz Hind, Greg Mulholland, Dr Thomas Thurnell-Read, and more, addressing threats and exploring solutions for a sustainable future. Free to attend on a first-come, first-served basis. Register now by emailing Kevin Fletcher at kevin.fletcher@northumbria.ac.uk by the 19th April 2024.

Journal of Marketing Management Special Issue- *CFP* (deadline 16 September)
Nadine Waehning, Victoria Wells and Robert Bowen are putting together a special issue entitled: ‘Perspectives on drinking, manufacture and drinking spaces and places.’ Papers are welcomed from across a range of disciplines related to markets, consumers, marketing etc. The deadline for submissions is 16th September 2024. The CFP and further information can be found at: https://www.jmmnews.com/perspectives-on-drinking/.

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Call for content for the next edition of What’s Cooking

The next edition of What’s Cooking will be mid-May. Please send content (research updates, calls for expression of interest, relevant calls for papers/conference/event announcements) by Monday 13 May via this Google Form.

Want to stay updated? Follow us on X (OK fine, we’ll call it that): @SHUFood. You can also subscribe to the blog and/or join our Jisc email list: see information on the very bottom of each SHUFood blog page.

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Filed under appetite, eating behaviour, food practices, food waste, plant-based foods, SHARe Sheffield Hallam Appetite Research, SHUFood, Uncategorized, What's Cooking?, wine

by Jennifer Smith Maguire | December 21, 2023 · 1:51 pm

Sustainable food and drink: an immersive tasting and learning event

On December 7^th, SHUFood and NCEFE (the National Centre of Excellence for Food Engineering) joined forces to host ‘Sustainable Food and Drink: An Immersive Tasting and Learning Event.’ The event welcomed 40 guests to a three-hour event that included a sustainable food quiz, canapés made from surplus food, and a tutored tasting featuring sustainable wine and whiskey. Aimed at the general public, the activities were designed to help people think differently about sustainable food and drink, and to showcase our diverse SHUFood food-focused research at Sheffield Hallam University.

The event was part of our commitment to ShefFood’s Local Food Action Plan for Sheffield, building an ‘inclusive food movement’ through public-facing events on the theme of healthy and sustainable food.

We started the evening capturing people’s responses to the prompt ‘what does sustainable food and drink mean to you?’ Answers included being mindful; seasonal; local (and local bees!); egalitarian; creative with fewer ingredients; good food for a good future; smart packaging; and being part of my food system. The full set of responses is captured in this padlet, allowing others to share their comments and likes to continue the conversation; you can also take a video tour of the responses.

A few highlights of the evening:

The drinks! Guests were welcomed with mulled, spiced apple juice and two kombuchas (alongside activities highlighting SHUFood research and the brilliant work of Sheffield Hallam’s Design Futures Packaging to make food packaging more sustainable). Accompanying activities in the fantastic Hallam test kitchen, guests then sampled wines carefully selected by our event beverage guru, John Dunning, for their sustainability credentials. This included Yorkshire wines from Laurel Vines Vineyard (kindly donated by Ian Sargent, chairman of WineGB Midlands and North). The final phase of the event featured a tutored tasting of two sustainable wines, supplied by local wine merchant Starmore Boss, and a whiskey from Derbyshire’s White Peak Distillery. Tastings were enhanced by fascinating stories of provenance, production process and passion from Jeff Boss of Starmore Boss, and White Peak Distillery Manager Dave Symes.

Photos: SHUFoodie Ewen Crilley pouring in the test kitchen; Dave Symes of White Peak Distillery and John Dunning (SHUFoodie extraordinaire and mastermind of the event’s drinks component); Jeff Boss of Starmore Boss; an expectant audience as the tasting got underway.

The food! Oh, the amazing food! Caroline Millman (NCEFE ‘Healthier Lives’ theme lead) set the vision for the event’s food component, with a focus on using surplus food, scrupulously saved from previous weeks’ teaching and sourced from Food Works Sheffield. Everyone was blown away by the results of SHU’s culinary wizards Jason Tompkin and Amy Downing, who took Caroline’s brief and turned it into an array of creative, delicious dishes. Pure genius. Judging by the event’s final feedback board (see below), the sprout station (soup, patties, and slaw!), onion peel powder and banana skin vegan bacon made a lasting impression. Amplifying the impact of the food was the pièce de résistance: a truly challenging sustainability food quiz.

Photos: Amy Downing, Jason Tompkin and crates of ingredients from Food Works; SHU ‘food and nutrition’ student champion Macy Wong and Caroline Millman (mastermind of the event’s food component) deliver the sustainability quiz answers (and the facts behind them); upcycled bananas were transformed into tasty chips and vegan bacon; the full tasting menu; the test kitchen full of happy guests.

We finished the evening with a pledge wall, the brainchild of SHUFoodie Pallavi Singh (see photo below). There were fantastic responses, including pledges to be thoughtful, creative and waste less; to ask more questions; to try more plant based foods; to cook as a house; to read Sheffield’s Local Food Action Plan…and our sprout station, onion powder, and sustainable wine and whiskey clearly made a big impression! The full set of responses is captured in this padlet, allowing others to share their comments and likes to continue the conversation; you can also take a video tour of the responses.

All in all, it was a superb event that gave everyone food for thought. A huge thank you to our keen participant guests, our fabulous ‘Food and Nutrition student champions’ Jed Gauder, Macy Wong, Iman Batrisyia, and Kayleigh Cope, and to everyone who supported the event with their energy, time, creativity, donations, and stories.

Wishing you a restorative holiday, and a tasty and sustainable new year!

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Filed under SHUFood, sustainability, Uncategorized

by Jennifer Smith Maguire | December 7, 2023 · 1:47 pm

Picturing Good Food: Our Winners!

Back in October, SHUFood delivered a public engagement research event as part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science: Picturing Good Food. The event explored the ways in which social science contributes to the development of healthier, more sustainable, and more enjoyable food practices. It was also a brilliant excuse to bring together our three research clusters, CHEFS, SWEFS and SHARe to increase awareness of our food-related research.

The event took place in Sheffield’s Winter Gardens, and featured engaging activities for all ages. We were especially delighted to have had so many younger children as eager participants, who enjoyed the activities while learning more about the potential for food to have a positive impact for health and the environment. The activities delved into attitudes towards eating, plant-based foods, and food waste, which have become increasingly popular topics in the last few years.

Children (and not a few adults!!) took part in a series of hands-on activities, including the chance to draw their vision of good food. Whilst we saw outstanding artistic expression from all who participated, we nevertheless set ourselves the difficult task of identifying winners.

Drum roll please…

In the infant category (5-7 years), we extend our congratulations to two winners: Reggie (aged 7) and Diala (aged 8). Both your talents have shown through, and we are extremely impressed by your amazing capabilities on attitudes to eating, plant-based foods, and food waste.

From our junior category (7-11 years), a big congratulations to Annika (aged 10) and Millie (aged 10). Your food drawings are spectacular, and your creativity is amazing!

Congratulations once again on your inspiring drawings on perceptions of food and drink.

We’ve messaged winners (or rather, their adult agents!) on Twitter, but haven’t yet heard back from a few. Please get in touch (j.smith1@shu.ac.uk) to claim your prize.

And a big thank you from the SHUFood team to all of the brilliant Sheffield Hallam University Food and Nutrition Student Champions who helped with the event, and Kayleigh Cope for drafting this blog!

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Filed under appetite, CHEFS, Diet and health, eating behaviour, food practices, food waste, research, SHARe Sheffield Hallam Appetite Research, sustainability, SWEFS Surplus Waste and Excess Food in Society, Uncategorized

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