The Food Databanks National Capability (FDNC) Group manages data on the composition of foods eaten in the UK. As well as providing the nutritional information for food labelling, these data underpin research into the links between diet and health at the Quadram Institute and across Europe and beyond. These data also help inform policymaking to promote a healthy lifestyle. https://fdnc.quadram.ac.uk/

In parallel to our core FDNC activities, my group aims to improve and facilitate the adoption of technology (diet apps, Mobile Health etc.) in clinical nutrition research. We are working to advance our understanding of the interplay between food and food-derived bioactives, the microbiome and health, working closely with research groups in the Quadram Institute as well as with external collaborators.

We are developing new and improved tools for dietary assessment through technological innovation to support research in diet and health and increase capacity for delivering accurate and relevant dietary assessment. We are also undertaking research in personalised nutrition. We have a particular interest in understanding the sources of interindividual variation in metabolic response to foods and the role of the gut microbiome in shaping this.

Our work involves designing human dietary intervention studies that generate big data. We apply metagenomics tools coupled with machine learning-based methodologies and use multi-omics integration to understand the basis for personalised nutrition, and to gain mechanistic understanding of food and gut microbiome interactions.