Useful links - The Food Commission

You may find the following links useful

Scroll down or click on an organisation for a short description and a weblink

Academic / Information for schools

City University - Department of Health Management and Food Policy
Chew on this - The Food Commission's own website for 11-14 year olds (Key Stage 3)
Department for Education and Skills (DfES) - Guidance for caterers to school lunch standards
Feed me Better (Jamie Oliver's campaign to improve school dinners)
The Food Dudes (Bangor University)
Food in Schools
The Meatrix (Animated exposé of factory faming)
National Union of Teachers
School Nutrition Action Groups (Health Education Trust)
Store Wars (Animated Star Wars spoof promoting organics)

Campaigning organisations (UK)

Action on Additives A Food Commission campaign site, listing food and drink products that contain suspect additives.
Anaphylaxis Campaign (nut allergy)
Baby Milk Action
Breastfeeding Manifesto
Caroline Walker Trust
CASH (Consensus Action on Salt and Health)
Child Poverty Action Group
Children's Food Bill
Compassion in World Farming
Diabetes UK
Fareshare
Farm: The independent voice of farmers
Five Year Freeze Campaign
Food Ethics Council
Foundation for Local Food Initiatives
Friends of the Earth
GeneWatch UK
HDRA - The Organic Organisation
Hyperactive Children's Support Group
International Obesity TaskForce
La Leche League
Local Food Works
The Maternity Alliance
Move4Health
National Heart Forum
The Parents Jury
Pesticides Action Network UK
Scottish Community Diet Project
The Soil Association
Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming
tfX: The campaign against trans fats in food
The UK Food Group
VEGA (Vegetarian Economy and Green Agriculture)
Welsh Food Alliance
Women's Environmental Network

Campaigning organisations (non-UK)

Centre for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)
Japan Offspring Fund

Ethical shopping

Abel and Cole
BigBarn
Earthscan
Ethical Consumer
Fairtrade
The Foody
Green Guide Online
London Farmers' Markets
National Association of Farmers' Markets
Out of this World
Traidcraft

Five a Day

Department of Health
Grab 5!

Government Departments

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
Department of Health
Eat-the-view (Countryside Agency)
Food Standards Agency
Healthy Living Scotland
Surestart

Irradiation
This link takes you to a seperate page of Irradiation links

Making a complaint

Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)
Ofcom (Office of Communications)
Trading Standards

Other links

British Dietetic Association
Eating Disorders Association (EDA)
Foodsmatter
The Food Programme
Guild of Food Writers
Netmums
Nutri-People
One World Online
Parents Centre
Prospect Books
Raising Kids
Sausagelinks
UKparents

Academic / Information for schools

City University - Department of Health Management and Food Policy
The Department of Health Management and Food Policy is an academic body which examines how public policy affects the food that people eat and how that food is grown, processed, distributed and consumed.The department offers an MA in Food Policy, based in London but also available as a distance-learning option.
www.city.ac.uk/ihs/hmfp/foodpolicy/

Chew on this
The Chewonthis website is designed for independent use by secondary school students aged 11-14 (Key Stage 3). The website will also be of interest to anyone who wants to know more about how our food is produced and its affect on our health and the environment.
www.chewonthis.org.uk

Department for Education and Skills (DfES)
Guidance for caterers to school lunch standards. This site contains guidance for caterers to the compulsory nutritional standards for school lunches which came into effect on 1 April 2001.
Department for Education and Skills

Feed me Better
Jamie Oliver's campaign to ban the junk and get fresh, tasty and nutritious food back on menu for school children. Highly recommended site for parents, schools and catering suppliers.
www.feedmebetter.com/

The Food Dudes
The Food Dude Programme, developed by psychologists at the University of Wales Bangor, is a successful initiative for use in primary schools to encourage and maintain healthy eating habits. Children enjoy the Food Dudes and both teachers and parents have praised the positive, long-term effect the programme has on children's diet.
www.fooddudes.co.uk

Food in Schools
Published by the Department of Health and Department for Education and Skills, this website provides guidance and resources for anyone working in or with a school on food related activities throughout the school day, including teachers, parents, school governors, head teachers, pupils and health professionals. There is information on a broad range of activities from guidance on how to set up a school food partnership or a healthier breakfast club to details of local Healthy School's support networks.
www.foodinschools.org/index.php

The Meatrix
An award winning animated site from the US which highlights four ways in which factory farming affect us – animal welfare, antibiotic resistant bacteria, pollution and destroyed communities. Factory farms also affect us in many other ways – find out information on the wide range of factors that contribute to the devastating impacts of industrial agriculture.
www.themeatrix.com/ Note - needs a fast internet connection

National Union of Teachers (NUT)
In recent years there has been an unprecedented increase in the use of commercial materials in schools, with UK brands spending an estimated £300m a year on targeting the classroom to increase sales. In 2003, the NUT published information and advice to teachers setting out some of the key issues that should be considered when assessing the suitability of commercial materials for use in schools including sponsored resources, such as teaching packs and materials; and collector schemes, such as Cadbury Get Active and Walkers 'Free' Books for Schools promotion.
www.teachers.org.uk

School Nutrition Action Groups
School Nutrition Action Groups are school based alliances in which staff, pupils and caterers, supported by health and education professionals work together to review and expand the range of food and drink to increase the uptake of a healthier diet and ensure consistent messages from the curriculum and food service. SNAG is co-ordinated by The Health Education Trust.
www.healthedtrust.com

Store Wars
Amusing, animated website from the US which spoofs Star Wars to promote organic food and agriculture.
http://www.storewars.org/flash/index.html Note - needs a fast internet connection

Campaigning organisations (UK)

Action on Additives
In September 2007, scientific research confirmed that mixtures of artificial food colourings and a commonly used food preservative can increase hyperactive behaviour in susceptible children. These additives have not been banned. Companies continue to put them into children's food and children's medicines.This website aims to expose every food, drink and medicine which contains the additives.
www.actiononadditives.com

Anaphylaxis Campaign
Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction, commonly linked to consumption of peanuts and other nuts. Causes of anaphylaxis also include other foods, insect stings, latex and drugs. The Anaphylaxis Campaign is an independent charity guided by leading UK allergists.
www.anaphylaxis.org.uk

Baby Milk Action
Baby Milk Action is a non-profit organisation which aims to save lives and to end the avoidable suffering caused by inappropriate infant feeding. Baby Milk Action works within a global network to strengthen independent, transparent and effective controls on the marketing of the baby feeding industry.
www.babymilkaction.org

Breastfeeding Manifesto
The Breastfeeding Manifesto Coalition looks forward to a society where: Women feel enabled to initiate and continue breastfeeding for as long as they wish; Parents are supported to make informed choices about feeding their babies; Everyone is aware of the significant benefits associated with breastfeeding. Support their work at: www.breastfeedingmanifesto.org.uk

Caroline Walker Trust (CWT)
CWT is a voluntary organisaiton which aims to improve public health through good food. The work of the CWT is particularly targeted towards vulnerable groups and people who need special help. They have produced nutritional and practical guidelines for the under-fives, older people in nursing and residential homes, and looked after children.
www.cwt.org.uk

CASH (Consensus Action on Salt and Health)
CASH is a group of specialists concerned with salt and its effects on health. It is working to reach a consensus with the food industry and Government over the harmful effects of a high salt diet, and bring about a reduction in the amount of salt in processed foods as well as salt added during cooking, and at the table.
www.hyp.ac.uk/cash

Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG)
CPAG is a voluntary organisation campaigning for the relief of poverty among children and families with children. As part of their work they have campaigned for school meals and milk tokens for those on low incomes.
www.cpag.org.uk

Children's Food Bill
The Children's Food Bill is seeking to introduce positive measures which will improve children's diets and their current and future health. The Bill aims to protect children from junk food marketing, improve the quality of school meals, stop unhealthy vending in schools and encourage food education and practical skills such as cooking and growing.
www.childrensfoodbill.org.uk

Compassion in World Farming
Compassion in World Farming campaigns to end the factory farming of animals and long distance transport through political lobbying, investigations and hard-hitting campaigns.
www.ciwf.co.uk

Diabetes UK
Diabetes UK is a campaigning organisation which funds research and helps people to live with diabetes. Lots of information on nutrition and diabetes.
www.diabetes.org.uk

Fareshare
Fareshare redistributes surplus food from the food industry to vulnerable people in the community.
www.fareshare.org.uk

Farm: The independent voice of farmers
Farm is a membership organisation campaigning for a viable future for independent and family farms. Farm exists to protect and promote the interests of farmers, to get their voices heard by decision-makers, and to campaign for a positive future for farming, rural communities and the countryside.
www.farm.org.uk

Five Year Freeze Campaign
The Five Year Freeze campaign is supported by an alliance of over 50 national organisations (including The Food Commission) who share the public's concern over the speed at which genetic engineering is being introduced into food and farming. The members of the alliance are united by a belief that we must stop and think about the huge implications of this new technology.
www.fiveyearfreeze.org

Food Ethics Council
The Food Ethics Council reports on ethical issues ranging from drug use in farm animals to intellectual property in agricultural research.
www.foodethicscouncil.org

Foundation for Local Food Initiatives
The Foundation aims to promote and support the growth of healthy local food economies, as a key part of sustainable development in the UK. This is an excellent resource for anyone working in, or keen to promote, the local food sector.
www.localfood.org.uk

Friends of the Earth (FoE)
The Real Food Campaign has taken a stance against the introduction of genetically modified crops into the UK and seeks to protect the environment from being over-exploited by intensive agriculture.
www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/real_food

GeneWatch UK
GeneWatch UK is a public interest group which aims to ensure that genetic technologies are developed and used in the public interest and in a way which promotes human health, protects the environment and respects human rights and the interests of animals.
http://www.genewatch.org/

HDRA - The Organic Organisation
HDRA (formerly the Henry Doubleday Research Association) researches methods to develop and improve the techniques used in organic agriculture. There are lots of good tips for anyone attempting to grow organically in their garden or allotment.
www.hdra.org.uk

Hyperactive Children's Support Group (HACSG)
HACSG provides support to parents and professionals working with children who display signs of hyperactivity, with particular focus on nutritional influences.
www.hacsg.org.uk

International Obesity TaskForce (IOTF)
The IOTF is an international body which works alongside the World Health Organization to tackle the growing health crisis threatened by soaring levels of obesity. Very useful site for anyone researching obesity issues.
www.iotf.org

La Leche League
Breast milk gives a baby the best possible start in life, but breast feeding rates in the UK are amongst the lowest in Europe. The aim of La Leche League is to help mothers to breastfeed through mother-to-mother support, encouragement, information and education. The League also aims to promote a better understanding of breastfeeding as an important element in the healthy development of the baby and mother.
www.laleche.org.uk

Local Food Works
Local Food Works exists to foster sustainable local food systems through the development of local food networks.
www.localfoodworks.org

The Maternity Alliance
The Maternity Alliance is an independent national charity which works to improve rights and services for all pregnant women, new mothers and their families.
www.maternityalliance.org.uk

Move4Health
Good health isn't just linked to nutrition. Move4Health is a UK organisation campaigning to get more people, more active, more often.
www.move4health.org.uk

National Heart Forum
The National Heart Forum (NHF) is a leading alliance of over 40 national organisations working to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in the UK. Lots of information on CHD and the effects of diet, smoking and physical activity.
www.heartforum.org.uk

The Parents Jury
The Parents Jury is an independent jury of over 1,400 parents which seeks to improve the quality of children's foods and drinks in the UK. The Jury is co-ordinated by The Food Commission.
www.foodcomm.org.uk/parentsjury/index.htm

Pesticides Action Network UK
Pesticide Action Network UK is an independent, non-profit organisation which promotes healthy food, agriculture and an environment which will provide food and meet public health needs without dependence on toxic chemicals, and without harm to food producers and agricultural workers.
www.pan-uk.org

Scottish Community Diet Project
The Scottish Community Diet Project's aim is to help improve Scotland's diet and health. They support work within low-income communities, improving access to and take-up of a healthy diet.
www.dietproject.org.uk/

The Soil Association
The Soil Association is the UK's leading campaigning and certification organisation for organic food and farming. Lots of information on organic food, including info for teachers and students.
www.soilassociation.org

Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming
Sustain is an alliance of over 100 national public interest organisations (including The Food Commission) which work at international, national and local level to improve food and agriculture policies. An excellent website - well worth a look.
www.sustainweb.org

tfX: The campaign against trans fats in food
A useful site highlighting the campaign to remove unhealthy (and unnecessary) trans fats from our food.
www.tfx.org.uk

The UK Food Group
The UK Food Group is a UK network for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working on global food and agriculture issues.
www.ukfg.org.uk

VEGA
VEGA (Vegetarian Economy and Green Agriculture) is a research, information and campaigning organisation focusing on farming, food, health and the land.
www.vegaresearch.org

Welsh Food Alliance
The Welsh Food Alliance works to raise awareness of healthy diets in local communities, and to inform and influence retailers and decision makers at local, national and UK levels with regard to the importance of a healthy diet to health.
www.welshfoodalliance.org.uk/

Women's Environmental Network
A membership charity, formed in 1988, that educates, informs and empowers women and men who care about the environment, and campaigns on environmental and health issues from a women's perspective. It has a UK-wide network of local groups, quarterly newsletter and campaigns on a number of issues, including local food.
www.wen.org.uk

Campaigning organisations (non-UK)

Centre for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)
The Center for Science in the Public Interest is a US based consumer advocacy organization whose twin missions are to conduct innovative research and advocacy programs in health and nutrition, and to provide consumers with current, useful information about their health and well-being.
http://www.cspinet.org

Japan Offspring Fund
The Japan Offspring Fund (JOF) is a Japanese consumer group and environmental NGO established in 1984. JOF has researched a number of health and safety issues including chemical residues, endocrine disruptors and genetically engineered food.
http://www.tabemono.info/english/index.html

Ethical shopping

Abel and Cole
Deliver organic food to a wide area around London, the Home Counties and towns in South and West England, but not the whole of the UK. Organic Retailer of the Year 2004.
www.abel-cole.co.uk

BigBarn
BigBarn is a website that promotes local food producers. By entering your postcode, or a place name, you can find the producers within a 15 mie radius of where you live.
http://www.bigbarn.co.uk

Earthscan
Earthscan is the UK's leading publisher on climate, energy, and sustainability issues. They have a wide range of publications dealing with food production and agriculture.
www.earthscan.co.uk

Ethical Consumer
Ethical Consumer provides information on consumer issues from an ethical viewpoint. They have the latest news on human rights, environmental and animal welfare campaigns and provide a range of in-depth features on ethical talking points and dilemmas.
www.ethicalconsumer.org

Fairtrade
Many everyday foods which we take for granted, such as coffee and bananas, are grown by small scale farmers in the developing world. Such farmers are sometimes forced into crippling debt and countless others lose their land and their homes because the prices they are paid may not even cover what it costs to produce their crop. The Fairtrade Foundation was set up to ensure that poor producers in developing countries receive a fair price for their produce, and that workers receive fair wages and decent working conditions.
www.fairtrade.org.uk

The Foody
The Foody is an independent on-line resource covering all aspects of English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish food and drink. With hundreds of recipes both ancient and modern, a large list of farmers' markets, places to buy locally produced food and an events diary showing places to visit.
www.thefoody.com

Green Guide Online
Online database which allows users to source everyday products and services from sustainable sources.
www.greenguide.co.uk

London Farmers' Markets (LFM)
London Farmers' Markets is a small company that exists to provide Londoners with fresh local food, and to provide farmers with a good return for their work. LFM runs 12 farmers markets in London, selling produce sourced from within 100 miles of the M25. Producers raise, grow or bake everything they sell.
www.lfm.org.uk

National Association of Farmers' Markets
Find out about farmers' markets in your area.
www.farmersmarkets.net

Out of this World
Supermarkets selling a wide range of ethically-sourced organic and fair trade products. Outlets in Newcastle, Nottingham and Leeds.
www.outofthisworld.coop

Traidcraft
Traidcraft is the UKs largest Fair Trade organisation - helping poor communities, throughout the world, work their way out of poverty.
www.traidcraft.co.uk

Five a Day

Department of Health
Government department with a wide remit to improve the health and well-being of people in England. The department provides specialist guidance to general practitioners, dentists and social workers, to help promote healthier lifestyles and living. Responsible for the promotion of the 5-A-DAY message in the UK (see www.doh.gov.uk/fiveaday/)
www.doh.gov.uk

Grab 5!
Grab 5! is a project which provides help and ideas for primary schools wanting to encourage their pupils to eat more fruit and vegetables. The project is co-ordinated by Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming (see below).
www.grab5.com

Government Departments

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
DEFRA was set up to take over some of the responsibilities of the discredited Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Farming (MAFF). The department has a remit to promote sustainable agricultural and environmental development in the UK. There is some good statistical information on this site.
www.defra.gov.uk

Eat-the-view
The Countryside Agency's Eat the View initiative aims to help people understand the links between the products they buy and the countryside they value
www.eat-the-view.org.uk

Food Standards Agency
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) was set up by an Act of Parliament in 2000 to take over some of the responsibilities of the discredited Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Farming (MAFF). The FSA has a remit to protect the public's health and consumer interests in relation to food. We don't always see eye-to-eye with the FSA, but this can be a useful site.
www.foodstandards.gov.uk

Healthy Living Scotland
The campaign is part of a wider healthy living initiative and aims to change the culture of Scotland’s poor eating habits. This website is a joint collaboration between the Health Education Board for Scotland (HEBS) and the Scottish Executive.
www.healthylivingscotland.gov.uk

Surestart
Sure Start is the government programme to deliver the best start in life for every child. Surestart provides early education, childcare, health and family support.
www.surestart.gov.uk/

Irradiation

This link takes you to a seperate page of Irradiation links

Making a complaint

Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)
This is where we go to complain about print advertising which we think is misleading. The ASA was set up by the advertising industry as a self-regulatory body, and as such we do not always agree with its views or decisions. If you see an advert you don't like, you can complain about it here.
www.asa.org.uk

Ofcom
Ofcom (Office of Communications) is the regulator for the UK communications industries, with responsibilities across television, radio, telecommunications and wireless communications services. Ofcom will consider complaints regarding sponsorship issues, such as the credit given to any company sponsoring an item and commercial influence in programmes.
www.ofcom.org.uk

Trading Standards
Trading Standards Officers are responsible for ensuring that consumer products sold in the UK are safe and correctly labelled. Their remit includes food and drink. If you have a complaint about the safety or labelling of a product a Trading Standards Officer may be able to take action on your behalf. The site provides information for consumers and businesses, schools, advice and information centres, community organisations, local councils, business support agencies and trade associations.
www.tradingstandards.gov.uk