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What can we learn from Amsterdam about childhood obesity?

How to make good things happen: global lessons for UK policymakers

In A healthy life

11 Mar 2025 09:30 – 10:30

Online and in person

Free

How can we make good things happen? Our event series explores successful policies from across the globe and draws out insights for UK policymakers.

This time, we’re looking to Amsterdam to explore its approach to tackling childhood obesity. While childhood obesity rates are rising in many parts of the world, including the UK, in Amsterdam the rates are reported to be falling. The Amsterdam Healthy Weight Programme is one of the longest, most well-resourced obesity reduction policies in the world. Launched in 2012, it aimed to bring all children down to a healthy weight by 2023 – within three years, Amsterdam reported a 12% drop in childhood obesity.

How did the Amsterdam City Government manage to buck the trend of rising obesity rates in children? And as the UK battles with rising obesity rates, what lessons can policymakers learn from Amsterdam’s approach?

On Tuesday 11 March 9:30-10:30, we’ll be diving into the impact of the scheme and discussing learnings for policy response in the UK at a live event.

Our panel will explore learnings from the scheme: from working on both prevention and treatment in tandem, to working cross-sector, to adopting a whole systems approach that looks at environments as much as behaviour.

We’ll hear from VU University’s Professor Jacob C. Seidell, co-director of the research institute evaluating the Amsterdam Healthy Weight Programme, as well as Nesta’s Mission Manager Clara Snow and Nesta and BIT CEO Ravi Gurumurthy.

Why you should come

This event will share first-hand and actionable insights on how to solve a challenging social problem. The discussion will unpack key takeaways for the UK, including balancing prevention and treatment, targeting environments with impactful interventions and embedding solutions into municipal policy.

We’ll dive deep into the nuts and bolts of the Amsterdam Healthy Weight Programme and look at what lessons can be applied in the UK in the face of rising obesity rates – from a focus on industry to trialling and designing policy options.

Ideal for public health experts, policymakers, civil servants, academics, researchers, this breakfast event will be held at 58 Victoria Embankment in central London and will involve an interactive Q&A session and networking reception. The event will be live-streamed for those who can’t make it in person.

Ravi Gurumurthy

He/him

Ravi is the group chief executive officer at Nesta and BIT. Ravi was previously responsible for the International Rescue Committee’s work in designing, testing and scaling products and services for people affected by crisis in over 40 countries - from reducing acute malnutrition and intimate partner violence, to expanding employment for Syrian refugees. Prior to joining the International Rescue Committee in 2013, Ravi held a number of roles in the UK government, including director of strategy at the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change and as a strategic advisor to the Foreign Secretary. Across many departments, Ravi led a number of major social and environmental reforms including the development of the world’s first legally-binding carbon emissions targets and the integration of children’s services. Ravi has also worked as a researcher at the think-tank Demos and in local government in London.

Professor Jacob C. Seidell

He/him

Jacob C. Seidell is emeritus professor of nutrition and health at VU University Amsterdam and was co-director of Sarphati Amsterdam, a unique scientific research institute founded with Public Health Service of Amsterdam (GGD). As a leading academic in the Amsterdam Healthy Weight Programme consortium, his research focuses on the understanding of determinants of food choice and the effectiveness of (policy) interventions in the context of the prevention and management of obesity. He has served as president-elect and as president (1992-2000) of the European Association for the Study of Obesity.

Clara Snow

She/her

Clara is the mission manager for the healthy life mission. Prior to joining Nesta, Clara spent eight years building fairer food environments in retail, community and home settings, with families and communities experiencing deprivation. She played a key role in the design and implementation of innovative new models of food distribution in the UK, including social supermarkets, holiday provision and family recipe boxes. Clara was named one of the Worlds Top 100 Changemakers by The Big Issue in 2020, and is a Churchill fellow. She is also a trustee at the KFC Foundation. Clara has an MSc in food policy from the Centre for Food Policy, University of London, and is an accredited service design professional.

What can we learn from Amsterdam about childhood obesity?

About Nesta

What can we learn from Amsterdam about childhood obesity?

What can we learn from Amsterdam about childhood obesity? - 11 Mar 2025 09:30 – 10:30

Why you should come