Eighth Annual Conference, 13 November 2003 "Changing attitudes to children’s food"

As you will readily recognise, the word - Changing - can be used as an adjective or a verb and the conference content will debate which of the two descriptors is the more prominent.

In a world where diet-related diseases are becoming more widespread, how can attitudes to food change and how have they changed in the past? Who drives this change- is it government, NGO's, knowledge, availability or consumer demand or is it the food and advertising industry through its product development and marketing and advertising. Does industry simply meet changing attitudes or do they mould attitudes?

The solution to diet-related illness is multifactorial - but where should the emphasis be? There are fiercely held views on both sides of the argument. Today's speakers from many interest groups will seek to offer solutions and describe the roles that their organisations are playing to address the issue. Some will say that the food industry is doing an enormous amount to meet the changing attitudes to children's food. Others will argue that not enough is being done and that marketing activity is impeding progress.