Why do we eat what we eat? What has the food system got to do with it? And what are the practical implications for effective policies and approaches for better eating? In her Food Thinkers talk, Corinna Hawkes will lay out the connections between the food we eat and the world around us. She will draw on her disciplinary background in geography and ecology to take us through what “connected thinking” means in the food system.

Based on her experience of navigating the international policy world of food nutrition and noncommunicable diseases, she will talk about the connections we should be making between what happens on the farm and the plate, between undernutrition and obesity, between us as individuals and social beings, between health and environment, and between countries across the development spectrum. She will explore the implications of connected thinking for all of our work to improve the food system, and set out a pathway forward for a more connected approach to finding solutions to malnutrition in all its forms.

Corinna has worked internationally for over 15 years analysing and promoting food system and food policy solutions for better nutrition, healthier eating and improved public health. She has been active in research, advocacy, and in advising governments and international agencies. Corinna has worked at the World Health Organization, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the School of Public Health at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and World Cancer Research Fund International.

Corinna’s research interests lie in the impact of food systems and food policies on diet, nutrition and non-communicable diseases. She is an honorary fellow at the Centre for Food Policy at City University and serves as a senior adviser at the Leverhulme Center for Integrative Research into Agriculture and Health, London. She is a member of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems and was recently appointed to the monitoring working group of the World Health Organization’s Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity.