Food is of fundamental importance to our health, and understanding exactly how foods keep us healthy is the overarching aim of the Food and Health strategic programme at the Institute of Food Research.

Professor Richard Mithen

In this video, Professor Richard Mithen gives an overview of this BBSRC-funded programme. What are the key components in foods that keep us healthy, and what effect does the structure of food have? Answers to these questions will help us know what a truly healthy diet is, and lead to new products that help consumers achieve this. Any diet must be sustainable, so we are also looking at ways food waste can be turned into valuable products.

Studies within the Food and Health programme cover everything from growing crops, through processing food, to clinical studies to see how our bodies interact with food. This research is strengthened through IFR’s partnerships across the Norwich Research Park representing a unique concentration of scientific expertise into the study of food and health.