for specific nutritional need

Marcos Bevilacqua Photography

VEGETABLE PRODUCTION FOR SPECIFIC NUTRITIONAL NEED

BARBARA BRAY 2017 NUFFIELD SCHOLAR

I applied for a Nuffield Farming Scholarship two years after setting up a consultancy business in food safety and nutrition, working with food industry clients. I had wanted to get involved in more research and innovation projects, but there was also a huge compliance aspect to my services which did not leave much room for creative or multidisciplinary thinking, something which became an important part of my Scholarship journey.

The Scholarship helped me to step away from a specialised area and take a look at the whole food system from a wider perspective. I surprised myself by realising that there was so much more to learn about how I interact with people professionally and personally. The Global Focus Programme caused me to reflect on how I had rushed through countries whilst working, without taking the time to look at socio-politic issues or see the context in which businesses operated.

I learned the value of building strong relationships with people first to enable valuable discussions about the things that matter. The biggest impact was understanding the influence of an environment on how people shop, cook and eat and how this determines health outcomes.

As I look back on my Scholarship, I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity and thank my sponsors and all the people who supported my journey. I continue to run my consultancy and have successfully transitioned into offering services that focus on development and strategy. This has brought in new clients looking at how they can improve the nutritional quality of their product portfolios and make them more environmentally sustainable and healthy. I have been invited to participate in multi-disciplinary expert groups and on projects looking at improving the food system. A highlight was speaking at the UN Committee for Food Security in 2018 and 2019 and being involved in the talks to develop the Voluntary Guidelines for Food Systems and Nutrition. The shift in focus to nutrition in my business has been helped by my election to the Nutrition Society board of trustees where I have responsibility for International Affairs. I applied to the Oxford Farming Conference and became a Director in 2018. This has enabled me to reach out to young people from diverse backgrounds and encourage them in their careers in the agri-food sector. I was awarded an MBE for services to food nutrition in 2019 and I was very humbled to be publicly recognised for my work. This led to an increased profile and opportunities not only to engage with business and organisations but also to inspire others in my sector. In 2020 I gave a TEDx talk on diet, diversity and the future of food highlighting the impact of the food environment on our diet and health. This subsequently led to being invited to speak on the topic at meetings and podcasts. I continue to be an advocate for sustainable nutrition and access to healthy, affordable food across all population groups. I decided that in order to pursue my research and innovation interests I would apply for a PhD in Nutrition at Queens University Belfast starting in October 2021. The study is part of a food systems based doctoral training programme that will give me a solid base for learning about trans-disciplinary working. “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller