Leeds Beckett and Sheffield researchers launch exhibition challenging food and health misinformation

Researchers and public health professionals from Leeds Beckett University and Sheffield Hallam came together on Wednesday evening for the launch of Who Speaks for Us? Food and Health in the Influence Era, an exhibition that asks critical questions about the growing influence of social media, wellness culture and industry marketing on public understanding of nutrition.

The launch event, held in Leeds, was joined by Professor Giles Yeo MBE, a leading authority on the science of obesity and food, who kicked off the evening and presented prizes to the winners of a student photography competition. A parallel launch event in Sheffield will feature food writer and campaigner Anthony Warner, known as the Angry Chef.

The competition invited students to submit an image depicting an important issue in public health nutrition. The joint overall winners were Laura Cullen and Sydney Stafford, second-year BSc Dietetics students, whose joint entry was entitled 20 Litres for a Walnut. They each received a £50 voucher. First-year BSc Nutrition student Bethan Tunney was also named joint overall winner for her entry Communication Awaiting an Update. The runner-up prize of a £20 voucher went to final year BSc Nutrition student, Helena Thomas for her entry Nutritious, Delicious and Deadly?

Dr Beverley O’Hara, lecturer in Public Health Nutrition at LBU’s School of Health said: “The exhibition was a new way for academics and people who work across the health system to come together and talk about the issues we face in food and health.

“The artworks were produced by colleagues from different disciplines across the country, which meant that there were some diverse and thought-provoking perspectives. We will be using the exhibition book and the feedback from public engagement as the foundation for a project that aims to assess the state of play in public health nutrition in the UK in 2026.”

The exhibition brings together academics, researchers and public health professionals to address a set of pressing challenges. In an era of glucose spike reels, gut microbiome influencers and personalised nutrition apps, the organisers argue that independent, evidence-based public health nutrition is under increasing pressure from commercial and social media forces. The exhibition aims to open up debate about how science can reclaim space in the public conversation around food and health and what the implications are for policy.

Around 50 people attended the Leeds launch, drawn from academia, public health and third sector organisations working in food and health.

Following the launch events, the exhibition moves into the city. It will be on display at Kirkgate Market in Leeds from 4 to 14 June 2026, in Unit R of the 1914 Hall, next to the original Marks and Spencer stall. The organisers are inviting the public to share their thoughts on the artwork and on what they see as the biggest issues in nutrition and health.