Hello. It looks like you�re using an ad blocker that may prevent our website from working properly. To receive the best Tortoise experience possible, please make sure any blockers are switched off and refresh the page.

If you have any questions or need help, let us know at memberhelp@tortoisemedia.com

#BetterFood

See more

thinkin

Making sense of cheap chicken, with Giles Whittell

How much should a chicken really cost? It’s our favourite meat and costs less than a pint. We know this has an environmental cost, from deforestation for chicken feed to water pollution. But what’s a fair price – and how can we get consumers to pay it? A discussion that brings in the idea of how often we should eat chicken (and other meat), whether we should tax it, how we maintain access to cheap protein while looking after the environment and respecting animal lives.This ThinkIn is part of Tortoise’s Accelerating Net Zero coalition.The initiative brings together our members and a network of organisations across a programme of ThinkIns and journalism devoted to accelerating progress towards Net Zero.Visit the homepage to find out more about the coalition and join us. With thanks to our coalition members: a network of organisations similarly committed to achieving Net Zero. editor and invited experts Giles WhittellSensemaker Editor Angela JonesEnvironmentalist and Campaigner, ‘Wild Woman of the Wye’ Celia HomyakPh.D. Co-Director & Industry Fellow Alternative Meats Lab Shraddha KaulDirector of External Affairs at British Poultry

thinkin

Food crisis: can the UK feed itself?

Improving the food system is one of the greatest challenges we face today. As the National Food Strategy, led by Henry Dimbleby, notes, “the global food system is the single biggest contributor to biodiversity loss, deforestation, drought, freshwater pollution and the collapse of aquatic wildlife. It is the second-biggest contributor to climate change, after the energy industry.” The UK Government is due to publish its formal response in the form of a food strategy white paper this summer. This will be the Government’s chance to set out its vision and actions necessary to help turn the National Food Strategy’s recommendations into a reality. However, the Government cannot tackle this issue alone. A grassroots movement and engagement from across different sectors is required too. Bonnie Wright’s book Go Gently provides practical ways in which people, communities and organisations can do this, while recognising the vital role governments at all levels can play in unlocking the potential for food system transformation. Join us for a ThinkIn that brings together the key voices on this agenda from inside and outside of government to discuss how we can create a healthy, sustainable food system in Britain. editor and invited experts Jeevan VasagarClimate Editor Bonnie WrightActor, Activist and Author of ‘Go Gently’ Henry DimblebyFounder of Leon, Government Advisor and National Food Strategy Lead Victoria Prentis MPMinister of State at DEFRA

thinkin

In conversation with Jack Monroe

Monroe rose to prominence writing about their struggles to feed their young son with a food budget of £10 a week on their blog ‘Cooking on a Bootstrap’. Since then, Monroe has published cookbooks filled with “austerity recipes” and has given evidence in Parliament highlighting the impact of the rising cost of basic food items on people living in poverty.In response to George Eustice’s suggestion that shoppers could “manage their household budget” by changing the brands they buy, they responded that “somebody who claims £196,000 in expenses in a single year is in no position to tell other people to get cheaper biscuits”.Join us for a very special ThinkIn with Jack, where we’ll be talking all about food poverty campaigning, the cost of living crisis, and the inflation of a bag of pasta with their trademark wit and cutting commentary. editor and invited experts David TaylorEditor Jack MonroeCampaigner, Author and Blogger — ‘Cooking on a Bootstrap’

thinkin

The great food swindle: are the ‘health claims’ a con?

This is a digital only ThinkIn.Half the sugar! Low in fat! Packed with wholegrain! Made with 100% fruit! Have you ever swapped your favourite cheesy crisps for a bag of ‘veggie chips’ with a cartoon kale on the front? Often the so-called healthier option contains a vanishingly small amount of vegetables, and just as much salt and fat as the former. It’s all about marketing. Regulators can dictate what information MUST be listed on packaging, but they don’t control how foods are branded and promoted. Food companies are brilliant at targeting young people especially, with products that tap into ‘superfood’ fads but that deliver no real health benefits, and may actually be harmful if they’re eaten frequently. Tortoise is partnering with Bite Back to host a ThinkIn in which we will share new research revealing which products are the worst offenders. Together with well-known representatives from the food industry, policymakers, healthcare professionals and chefs, we will discuss why this is still happening, the impact on young people’s health, and what can be done about it?About Bite Back 2030.It should be easy for us to eat healthily – it isn’t. The food system is rigged against us, flooding our world with junk food then putting billions into marketing that makes it impossible to resist. We can and must redesign that system to protect the health and futures of millions of children. Bite Back 2030 is a youth-led movement, working to ensure every child has access to a good diet; at home, on the high street and at school. Because it matters to their health. Our ultimate goal is to halve child obesity by 2030. editor and invited experts Liz MoseleyMembers’ Editor Alessandra BelliniChief Customer Officer & Executive Sponsor for D&I, Tesco plc. Christina AdaneBite Back Co-Chair Youth Board Jamie Oliver, MBEBritish chef, restaurateur and food campaigner

thinkin

BakeIn: An hour of ‘breaditation’ with Tortoise

The most profitable food companies sell the most high-sugar foods, Tortoise has found.  Two fifths of the products sold by the biggest food companies in the UK contain such high levels of sugar that they should be coded red under voluntary front-of-pack labelling scheme, our analysis of the output of the 30 biggest UK food producers shows. Nearly 86 per cent of Mondelez’s product sample, weighted by sales, have enough sugar to need a red label. The figure is 80 per cent for Mars UK products and 50 per cent for Nestlé. Red labels identify products that have more than 22.5 grams of sugar per 100g, or 27g of sugar in a serving over 100g. The analysis of a representative sample of products was conducted for the Tortoise Better Food Index, which scores the 30 biggest food companies in the UK on a range of sustainability metrics.  By the numbers: 30 – percentage share of products with red sugar labels in sample portfolios from companies in the index with high profit margins. The figure is 7.3 per cent for companies with low profit margins.96 – percentage of ingredients accounted for by sugar in Polos, made by Nestlé. (Nestlé also offers sugar-free Polos.) 35 – grams of sugar per 100g in Crunchy Nut, Kelloggs’ best-selling cereal.48 – percentage share of products sold by companies in the index that contain added sugar. Mhairi Brown, policy lead at Action on Sugar, a campaign group, said: “These companies have relied on high sugar as well as high salt and high fat for so long, because they are cheap to make, convenient and have a long shelf life – despite a wealth of evidence of the impact that sugar is having on health.” Twenty-six per cent of adults in England are obese and a further 38 per cent are overweight. Research suggests the consumption of ‘free sugars’ – including sugary drinks – is a major factor in the rise of obesity. A Mars UK spokesperson said the company recognises its responsibility to ensure its consumers know they should enjoy its products as a treat and as part of a healthy and balanced diet. They added that Mars UK offers a Triple Treat range with 75 per cent fruit and nuts, which meets the government definition of non-HFSS (not high in fat, salt and sugar). Nestlé said it was “clear about its intentions to continue to grow the more nutritious part of its portfolio” and that “42 per cent of Nestlé’s UK sales are non-HFSS against 27 per cent of sales that are HFSS”. Kellogg’s commented that the “number one reason people buy Crunchy Nut is for its taste”. It added that it voluntarily displays front-of-pack traffic light labelling on its boxes, and that many of its cereals, including Coco Pops, Special K Original, Rice Krispies and Cornflakes, are not considered HFSS.  The cereal company recently lost a legal challenge against the UK government’s definition of HFSS foods, arguing that the milk and yoghurt should be considered in assessing the nutrition of the cereal. In 2017 it funded research aimed at undermining official warnings about sugar consumption, according to the Times.  Last October, the government introduced regulations restricting promotion of HFSS foods from key locations such as checkouts and the ends of aisles in large retail stores. But restrictions on advertising unhealthy food were delayed to 2025. Food companies are coming under increasing pressure from institutional investors, who fear the companies’ reliance on unhealthy foods poses “systemic risks” to financial returns. Further reading: scientific study of sugar’s impact on human health is a slow-burn story that could still boil over. Find out more about the background here. Read up here on past industry efforts to influence debate on sugar and coronary heart disease. Read next: DeSantis hopes to attract attention with a war on woke The Better Food Index 2023: the findings

thinkin

Feeding the world sustainably after Covid: how will we do it?

The most profitable food companies sell the most high-sugar foods, Tortoise has found.  Two fifths of the products sold by the biggest food companies in the UK contain such high levels of sugar that they should be coded red under voluntary front-of-pack labelling scheme, our analysis of the output of the 30 biggest UK food producers shows. Nearly 86 per cent of Mondelez’s product sample, weighted by sales, have enough sugar to need a red label. The figure is 80 per cent for Mars UK products and 50 per cent for Nestlé. Red labels identify products that have more than 22.5 grams of sugar per 100g, or 27g of sugar in a serving over 100g. The analysis of a representative sample of products was conducted for the Tortoise Better Food Index, which scores the 30 biggest food companies in the UK on a range of sustainability metrics.  By the numbers: 30 – percentage share of products with red sugar labels in sample portfolios from companies in the index with high profit margins. The figure is 7.3 per cent for companies with low profit margins.96 – percentage of ingredients accounted for by sugar in Polos, made by Nestlé. (Nestlé also offers sugar-free Polos.) 35 – grams of sugar per 100g in Crunchy Nut, Kelloggs’ best-selling cereal.48 – percentage share of products sold by companies in the index that contain added sugar. Mhairi Brown, policy lead at Action on Sugar, a campaign group, said: “These companies have relied on high sugar as well as high salt and high fat for so long, because they are cheap to make, convenient and have a long shelf life – despite a wealth of evidence of the impact that sugar is having on health.” Twenty-six per cent of adults in England are obese and a further 38 per cent are overweight. Research suggests the consumption of ‘free sugars’ – including sugary drinks – is a major factor in the rise of obesity. A Mars UK spokesperson said the company recognises its responsibility to ensure its consumers know they should enjoy its products as a treat and as part of a healthy and balanced diet. They added that Mars UK offers a Triple Treat range with 75 per cent fruit and nuts, which meets the government definition of non-HFSS (not high in fat, salt and sugar). Nestlé said it was “clear about its intentions to continue to grow the more nutritious part of its portfolio” and that “42 per cent of Nestlé’s UK sales are non-HFSS against 27 per cent of sales that are HFSS”. Kellogg’s commented that the “number one reason people buy Crunchy Nut is for its taste”. It added that it voluntarily displays front-of-pack traffic light labelling on its boxes, and that many of its cereals, including Coco Pops, Special K Original, Rice Krispies and Cornflakes, are not considered HFSS.  The cereal company recently lost a legal challenge against the UK government’s definition of HFSS foods, arguing that the milk and yoghurt should be considered in assessing the nutrition of the cereal. In 2017 it funded research aimed at undermining official warnings about sugar consumption, according to the Times.  Last October, the government introduced regulations restricting promotion of HFSS foods from key locations such as checkouts and the ends of aisles in large retail stores. But restrictions on advertising unhealthy food were delayed to 2025. Food companies are coming under increasing pressure from institutional investors, who fear the companies’ reliance on unhealthy foods poses “systemic risks” to financial returns. Further reading: scientific study of sugar’s impact on human health is a slow-burn story that could still boil over. Find out more about the background here. Read up here on past industry efforts to influence debate on sugar and coronary heart disease. Read next: DeSantis hopes to attract attention with a war on woke The Better Food Index 2023: the findings

thinkin

Veganuary CookIn

The most profitable food companies sell the most high-sugar foods, Tortoise has found.  Two fifths of the products sold by the biggest food companies in the UK contain such high levels of sugar that they should be coded red under voluntary front-of-pack labelling scheme, our analysis of the output of the 30 biggest UK food producers shows. Nearly 86 per cent of Mondelez’s product sample, weighted by sales, have enough sugar to need a red label. The figure is 80 per cent for Mars UK products and 50 per cent for Nestlé. Red labels identify products that have more than 22.5 grams of sugar per 100g, or 27g of sugar in a serving over 100g. The analysis of a representative sample of products was conducted for the Tortoise Better Food Index, which scores the 30 biggest food companies in the UK on a range of sustainability metrics.  By the numbers: 30 – percentage share of products with red sugar labels in sample portfolios from companies in the index with high profit margins. The figure is 7.3 per cent for companies with low profit margins.96 – percentage of ingredients accounted for by sugar in Polos, made by Nestlé. (Nestlé also offers sugar-free Polos.) 35 – grams of sugar per 100g in Crunchy Nut, Kelloggs’ best-selling cereal.48 – percentage share of products sold by companies in the index that contain added sugar. Mhairi Brown, policy lead at Action on Sugar, a campaign group, said: “These companies have relied on high sugar as well as high salt and high fat for so long, because they are cheap to make, convenient and have a long shelf life – despite a wealth of evidence of the impact that sugar is having on health.” Twenty-six per cent of adults in England are obese and a further 38 per cent are overweight. Research suggests the consumption of ‘free sugars’ – including sugary drinks – is a major factor in the rise of obesity. A Mars UK spokesperson said the company recognises its responsibility to ensure its consumers know they should enjoy its products as a treat and as part of a healthy and balanced diet. They added that Mars UK offers a Triple Treat range with 75 per cent fruit and nuts, which meets the government definition of non-HFSS (not high in fat, salt and sugar). Nestlé said it was “clear about its intentions to continue to grow the more nutritious part of its portfolio” and that “42 per cent of Nestlé’s UK sales are non-HFSS against 27 per cent of sales that are HFSS”. Kellogg’s commented that the “number one reason people buy Crunchy Nut is for its taste”. It added that it voluntarily displays front-of-pack traffic light labelling on its boxes, and that many of its cereals, including Coco Pops, Special K Original, Rice Krispies and Cornflakes, are not considered HFSS.  The cereal company recently lost a legal challenge against the UK government’s definition of HFSS foods, arguing that the milk and yoghurt should be considered in assessing the nutrition of the cereal. In 2017 it funded research aimed at undermining official warnings about sugar consumption, according to the Times.  Last October, the government introduced regulations restricting promotion of HFSS foods from key locations such as checkouts and the ends of aisles in large retail stores. But restrictions on advertising unhealthy food were delayed to 2025. Food companies are coming under increasing pressure from institutional investors, who fear the companies’ reliance on unhealthy foods poses “systemic risks” to financial returns. Further reading: scientific study of sugar’s impact on human health is a slow-burn story that could still boil over. Find out more about the background here. Read up here on past industry efforts to influence debate on sugar and coronary heart disease. Read next: DeSantis hopes to attract attention with a war on woke The Better Food Index 2023: the findings

thinkin

Is everything we know about food wrong? With Professor Tim Spector

One of the world’s leading scientists reveals why so much of the current advice on food and nutrition is dangerously inaccurate. Our daily digital ThinkIns are exclusively for Tortoise members and their guests.Try Tortoise free for four weeks to unlock your complimentary tickets to all our digital ThinkIns.If you’re already a member and looking for your ThinkIn access code you can find it in the My Tortoise > My Membership section of the app next to ‘ThinkIn access code’.We’d love you to join us.Professor Tim Spector, one of the world’s leading scientists, believes almost everything we’ve been told about food and nutrition is wrong. Join us to listen to insights from his extraordinary new book Spoon-Fed, through which he will encourage us to question every diet plan, official recommendation, miracle cure or food label we encounter. Chair: Ceri Thomas, Editor and Partner, TortoisePre-order the book hereAbout Professor TimProfessor Tim Spector is a professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London and honorary consultant physician at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals. He is a multi-award winning expert in personalised medicine and the gut microbiome and the author of four books, including the bestselling The Diet Myth.Professor Spector is on the scientific advisory board of health science company ZOE. The ZOE Covid Symptom Study app is being used by over 4m people to regularly report on their health, making it the largest public science project of its kind anywhere in the world.How does a digital ThinkIn work?A digital ThinkIn is like a video conference, hosted by a Tortoise editor, that takes place at the advertised time of the event. Digital ThinkIns are new to Tortoise. Now that our newsroom has closed due to the coronavirus outbreak, we feel it’s more important than ever that we ‘get together’ to talk about the world and what’s going on.The link to join the conversation will be emailed to you after you have registered for your ticket to attend. When you click the link, you enter the digital ThinkIn and can join a live conversation from wherever you are in the world. Doors open at 6:20pm for a welcome and briefing. Come early to get settled, meet the team and chat to other members. ThinkIn starts at 6:30pm.Members can enter their unique members’ access code to book tickets. Find yours in My Tortoise > My Membership in the Tortoise app.If you have any questions or get stuck, please read our FAQs, or get in touch with us at memberhelp@tortoisemedia.comRead our ThinkIn code of conduct.What is a Tortoise ThinkIn?A ThinkIn is not another panel discussion. It is a forum for civilised disagreement. It is a place where everyone has a seat at the (virtual) table. It’s where we get to hear what you think, drawn from your experience, energy and expertise. It is the heart of what we do at Tortoise.

thinkin

Tortoise ThinkIn with Fora – Can we eat well and not ruin the planet?

This ThinkIn has been made possible by our founding partnership with Fora.  We’ve become used to eating what we want, but our increasingly globalised and meaty diet, is taking its toll. The world’s population is growing but if we’re serious about the climate crisis, we need to get used to a new style of eating. Is it possible to enjoy food – as we do now – and care about the planet? Our special guests are: Gizzi Erskine, chef and TV personality Morten Toft Bech, Founder, The Meatless Farm Company Ruth Rogers MBE, chef and owner of The River Café Patrick Holden, the Founding Director of the Sustainable Food Trust Chair: Merope Mills, Editor and Partner, Tortoise What is a Tortoise ThinkIn? A ThinkIn is not another panel discussion. It is a forum for civilised disagreement. Modelled on what we call a ‘leader conference’ in the UK (or an editorial board in the US), it is a place where everyone has a seat at the table. It’s where we get to hear what you think, drawn from your experience, energy and expertise. It’s where, together, we sift through what we know to come to a clear, concise point of view. It is the heart of what we do at Tortoise. Drinks from 6.00pm, starts promptly at 6.30pm. If you are late to a ThinkIn you can ‘SlinkIn’! If you would like to contribute to this ThinkIn, let us know by emailing thinkin@tortoisemedia.com We film our Thinkins so we can watch them back, edit the best bits and share them with members who weren’t there in person. Members can find their ThinkIn booking code in My Tortoise, under My Membership.
See more
See more