From Macro to Micro: Systems change to tackle food poverty

Dr Clare Pettinger, University of Plymouth Clare Pettinger is an award-winning Registered Dietitian, Public Health Nutritionist and experienced educator, who is actively engaged in community-focussed research around food systems, poverty and social justice. She is passionate about public engagement and radical creative approaches to tackle health, (in)equality and social well-being challenges.

She has recently led the Plymouth work package of the five-year FoodSEqual project (UKRI-BBSRC funded consortium project led by the University of Reading) which is all about community centred food system change. Core to this project has been ‘co-production’ approaches, involving training community food researchers to build community capacity for food system justice and resilience. 

Professor Janas Harrington, University College Cork Janas leads the Food Policy Research team in the Centre for Health and Diet Research, School of Public Health, UCC and is also the Director of the BSc Public Health Sciences.

The core focus of their research is food policy to improve food environments at local, national and European level. Locally, in their role as Chair of the Cork Food Policy Council Janas is leading the development of a Health and Sustainable Food Strategy for Cork. Nationally, Janas led the publication of the first Irish Food Environment Policy Index (2020) (Food-EPI). At the European level Janas co-led an 11-country study to benchmark the implementation of recommended nutrition policies.

Janas is the PI of the ERA4Health FOOPATH project and the Irish lead for the Horizon Europe FEAST project.

Professor Mary Brennan, University of Edinburgh (Business School) and Scottish Food Commission Born and raised in Dublin (though off West Limerick and South Kerry), Professor Mary Brennan completed her Bachelor of (Agricultural and Food) Engineering (BE) degree at University College Dublin (Ireland) in 1998, her MSc. in International Agricultural and Food Marketing from Newcastle University (UK) in 1999 and her PhD (by published work) from Newcastle University (UK) in 2011.

Working at Newcastle University (1998-2013) and University of Edinburgh (2013-current) for the past 27 years, Mary is Chair of Food Marketing and Society at University of Edinburgh Business School, Dean of Education for the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Director of the Wellcome Trust funded “Living Good Food Nation Lab” project.

Mary adopts an interdisciplinary, systems-based approach in her research drawing on, and working with, different disciplines to investigate complex food policy challenges in order to explore the complex, dynamic, unpredictable and often unstable relationships people have with food, how these shape everyday food practices, underpin contemporary food policy challenges and which are considered by many to be very resistant to change.

She also explores the application of social marketing to contemporary food policy and more recently has been investigating food systems transformation with specific focus on public (school) food. Mary co-convenes FRIED, the Food Researchers in Edinburgh Network, is a member of Safefood’s (Food Safety Promotions Board (cross border body operating on the Island of Ireland) Scientific Advisory Committee, and was chair of the Scottish Food Coalition (a coalition of over 50 civil society organisations who have come together to advocate for a fairer, healthier, more sustainable Scottish food system for all) between 2018-2025 leading the coalitions recent work campaigning for new legislation in Scotland entitled the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022.

Building on this, and with funding from the Wellcome Trust, Mary leads the Living Good Food Nation Lab and in June 2025 (4 year term) was appointed as one of 4 inaugural commissioners to the new statutory Scottish Food Commission.

Alison Chambers is a policy professional specialising in food systems, regulatory frameworks, and supply chain development. She leads on food policy and marketing standards, ensuring compliance across complex environments.

Alison has extensive experience working with primary and secondary legislation and translating policy into practice. She plays a key role in implementing the Windsor Framework, supporting post-Brexit arrangements and regulatory alignment.

Alison is also committed to building capability, she drives professional development initiatives and contributes to capital investment and resilient supply chains.