Projects
Food environments in Three South African Universities (July 2024 to June 2025)
Funder
- Bloomberg Philanthropies
Partners
- University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill
- University of the Western Cape
- University of Limpopo
Brief description of the project
Overweight and obesity are on the rise in South Africa. University students have unique obesity risks, such as financial problems, changes in eating practices during the transition to living away from home without parental guidance and support, and/or relative freedom to make their own decisions. The university campus food environment plays an important role in determining their eating and purchasing practices.
The study will use qualitative and quantitative methods to explore the food environments of the three campuses. It will investigate the availability and accessibility of different foods and drinks, and how these are influenced by university and corporate policies and practices. It will also investigate student and staff perceptions of the campus food environments.
The findings will be used to inform implementable guidelines which could be used to promote a improved access to healthy food and a healthier food environment for students and staff.
Georgetown Legal Scholarship
Start date: 01 February 2024 / End date: 30 June 2025
Funders
- O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law (O’Neill Institute)
- Bloomberg Philanthropies
Partners
- Global Center for Legal Innovation on Food Environments SAMRC/Wits
- Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science (Priceless SA)
Brief description of the project
Developing legal scholarship on public health law and non-communicable disease prevention in South Africa is a collaboration between the O’Neill Institute and PRICELESS SA aimed at positively developing the healthy food environment in South Africa through the use of legal research and instruments. The collaboration also aims to develop a common understanding of healthy food environments that span geographic limitations. The primary focus of the collaboration is the identification of policy gaps, and the development of evidence and arguments for policy adoption. The secondary objectives of the study include providing technical assistance and capacity building to achieve policy goals.
Addressing the Commercial Determinants of Health in Sub-Saharan Africa (ACORDS)
Start date: 01 July 2024 / End date: 30 June 2028
Funder
- National Institute of Health Research (NIHR)
Partners
- The University of Edinburgh
- Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
- African Population and Health Research Centre
Brief description of the project
Addressing the Commercial Determinants of Health in Sub-Saharan Africa project has the overarching aim of exploring how three unhealthy commodity industries (UCIs), alcohol, ultra-processed food and fossil fuels, influence population health in Sub-Saharan Africa. The project further aims to inform the development of coherent policies to promote health and sustainable development.
Trade and Market levers influencing South African and Sub-Saharan African Food environments
Start date: 16 August 2022 / End date: 15 September 2025
Funder
- International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
Partners
- Soul City Institute for Social Justice
- University of Ghana
- African Population and Health Research Centre
- Trade Law Centre (TRALAC)
Brief description of the project
Trade and Market levers influencing South African and Sub-Saharan African Food environments project aims to fill significant knowledge gaps by exploring two interconnected areas: the necessity for effective limitations on marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages to children, and the influence of trade and investment policies on food environments. The main goal is to pinpoint opportunities for beneficial interventions in food environments through legal and policy reforms, while also considering any potential negative effects on other health policies. The ultimate objective is to produce context-specific evidence that supports local policy initiatives and contributes to a regional evidence base for tackling the non-communicable disease crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa.
University of North Carolina/ Bloomberg Philanthropies-funded project
Start date: 1 Feb 2024 / End date: 31 July 2025
Partners
- University of North Carolina
- University of the Western Cape
Brief description of the project
As part of the Global Food Research Program (University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill), our research work seeks to provide evidence on how to reduce diet-related obesity and create a healthier food environment. The project covers the following policy research themes: fiscal policy, marketing regulations, labelling regulations, and school food environments.
Under these themes:
- We evaluate the health benefits of taxes such as the Health Promotion Levy (HPL) (i.e., tax on sugar-sweetened beverages). We provide evidence on the effectiveness of the HPL in reducing the demand for and consumption of SSBs and model the benefits of taxing fruit juices and ultra processed foods.
- We provide evidence on protecting children from pervasive, persuasive marketing for ultra-processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages.
- We research the effectiveness of simple, mandatory front-of-packaging warning labels in helping consumers to easily identify unhealthy foods and beverages and make informed choices.
- We examine ways to improve food environments in public institutions such as hospitals and Universities.