Nutrition Policy Unit embraces 'education and communication'
‘Education and communication’ are at the forefront of the newly
established Nutrition Policy Unit (NPU) at London Met, according to
director Professor Jack Winkler. The NPU was created in response to the
minimal provision for nutrition policy in the education sector, which
Professor Winkler believes cuts across many disciplines.
Initially, nutrition policy will feature as one module at Master’s level and over time will be incorporated into undergraduate courses. It is hoped that short courses will also become on offer for specialist groups.
With a practical and creative approach to nutrition policy, students will have the opportunity to interact with ‘frontline practitioners’ who will visit the University to speak about their experiences.
This year, the practitioners include a leading nutritionist who has written many dietary recommendations, a food industry lobbyist, the chair of a parliamentary food and health committee, and the director of government relations for a multi-national food company.
The creativity aspect will allow students to design nutritional policies themselves. For the final assessment, they will be expected to develop a set of policies for a realistic problem that they are likely to face in a work environment.
A communications strategy will also be at the focus of the NPU, which will aim to place nutritional issues higher up on the public agenda, drawing on the research and expertise of London Met staff who are active in the diverse areas of this field.
Professor Winkler said that many of the options for dealing with nutritional problems drew on the expertise of other disciplines - natural and social sciences, business and economics, education and health, law and politics, and many technologies.
‘Two research institutes specialising in different areas of nutrition already exist within London Met - the Institute of Brain Chemistry Human Nutrition and the Institute for Health Research and Policy,’ he said.
‘Other programmes on offer such as food science, public health, biomedical sciences, community development, hospitality and consumer studies all maintain strong links with nutrition and have potential links with nutrition that can be developed.
‘Nutrition policy is also addressed from business and legal perspectives, given the marketing of products and abundant EU regulations concerning food claims, nutrition labels and dietary supplements.
‘With this range of activity within the University, the NPU aims to create mutually beneficial links between the two and welcomes the challenge to incorporate this wealth of expertise into crystallising proposals for nutrition policies for the future.’
28 June 2007
Initially, nutrition policy will feature as one module at Master’s level and over time will be incorporated into undergraduate courses. It is hoped that short courses will also become on offer for specialist groups.
With a practical and creative approach to nutrition policy, students will have the opportunity to interact with ‘frontline practitioners’ who will visit the University to speak about their experiences.
This year, the practitioners include a leading nutritionist who has written many dietary recommendations, a food industry lobbyist, the chair of a parliamentary food and health committee, and the director of government relations for a multi-national food company.
The creativity aspect will allow students to design nutritional policies themselves. For the final assessment, they will be expected to develop a set of policies for a realistic problem that they are likely to face in a work environment.
A communications strategy will also be at the focus of the NPU, which will aim to place nutritional issues higher up on the public agenda, drawing on the research and expertise of London Met staff who are active in the diverse areas of this field.
Professor Winkler said that many of the options for dealing with nutritional problems drew on the expertise of other disciplines - natural and social sciences, business and economics, education and health, law and politics, and many technologies.
‘Two research institutes specialising in different areas of nutrition already exist within London Met - the Institute of Brain Chemistry Human Nutrition and the Institute for Health Research and Policy,’ he said.
‘Other programmes on offer such as food science, public health, biomedical sciences, community development, hospitality and consumer studies all maintain strong links with nutrition and have potential links with nutrition that can be developed.
‘Nutrition policy is also addressed from business and legal perspectives, given the marketing of products and abundant EU regulations concerning food claims, nutrition labels and dietary supplements.
‘With this range of activity within the University, the NPU aims to create mutually beneficial links between the two and welcomes the challenge to incorporate this wealth of expertise into crystallising proposals for nutrition policies for the future.’
28 June 2007