Researchers and public health professionals came together for the launch of Who Speaks for Us? Food and Health in the Influence Era, an exhibition that includes contributions from academics, students and public health colleagues that highlight key issues in public health and nutrition.
Supported by funding from Sheffield Business School, the exhibition is a collaborative effort by researchers at Sheffield Hallam and Leeds Beckett University as part of the Food, Eating & Health Research Group.
Dr Jordan D. Beaumont, Senior Lecturer in Food and Nutrition within Sheffield Business School, said: “In preparation for the event, we forced academic and public health colleagues to jump out of their comfort zone and become novice artists. A fantastic group of passionate professionals rose to the challenge and submitted a range of thought-provoking images. This exhibition provides an opportunity for those in the public health and nutrition space to come together and discuss many of the issues we face across food and health that are highlighted in these images.
“Ultimately, in the current era where social media is king and commercial determinants of health are inescapable, this exhibition is an opportunity for us to stick our heads above the parapet and try to reclaim some of the space for independent and evidence-based public health nutrition.”
The exhibition includes a collection of 24 images that cover topics such as the impact of food marketing, social media and influencers on food choice and eating behaviour, confusion around how we define ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’ foods, how the food environment is shaped and influences access to food, and nutrition fads.
Students were invited to submit their own images highlighting their perspective. Three images were chosen, joint winners 20 Litres for a Walnut by Laura Cullen and Sydney Stafford and Communication Awaiting an Update by Bethan Tunney, and runner-up Nutritious, Delicious and Deadly? By Helena Thomas. These images explore the wider environmental impacts of healthy food choices, how socioeconomic position impacts nutrition and health, and the way media messages shape our view of food.
The exhibition will be open to the public from 18 June to 3 July in the Expo Hall (Langsett Building, City Campus). The organisers are asking members of the public to give their views on the artwork and to highlight what they believe are the most important issues in nutrition and health.
