SHIFT: Sustainable and Healthy Interventions for Food Transitions

The SHIFT project will work with partners from UK policy teams in local and national government, the food industry and the public to design and evaluate interventions aimed at reducing the environmental impact of diets. We will focus on increasing consumption of cereals, fruit and vegetables, and reducing consumption of meat and dairy products to promote healthy, sustainable diets.

About one third of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally are related to the food system. Changing the food system – how we produce, manufacture, and consume food – is necessary if we are to reach our climate goals. Animal-based products have a much higher GHG footprint than most cereals, fruits and vegetables, which means we can achieve a large reduction in emissions by changing what we eat. To realise these changes, we need a broad suite of interventions and policies targeting meat consumption to encourage different food purchasing.

The SHIFT project will produce a policy toolkit for reducing meat consumption in the UK. We are conducting a review of efforts to change people’s diets to be healthier and more sustainable from World War II onwards, examining literature, policy, and talking to a range of policymakers and implementers. We are also working with local governments to co-design interventions aimed at reducing meat consumption. Researchers will be conducting intervention trials in real-world settings, in collaboration with industry and local government partners.  We will estimate the impact of interventions and policy scenarios by using our modelling and data infrastructure which captures the health and environmental impacts of the consumer-facing food system. We are also involving the public in all aspects of our work – from design of the research to communication of the findings. 

Building on award-winning public engagement expertise developed in the LEAP project, we are planning two major public engagement events. One of these events will take place in a major UK museum, and the other will be in a public space where we bring the findings of the SHIFT project direct to the public. Both events are aimed at promoting discussion and feedback from the public. 

- Increasing the uptake of healthy, sustainable diets through successful interventions evaluated in real-life settings
- Helping policymakers design policies that reduce meat consumption and support increased plant-based diets

October 2026

Dr Lexi Earl

Prof Mike Rayner

Dr Tara Garnett

Prof Jamie Lorimer

Dr Tamsin Blaxter

Dr Prachi Bhatnagar

Ruth Westcott

Dr Mike Clark

Fran Bernhardt

Sustain

Sustained

Sustainable Food Places