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About Nesta

Nesta is an innovation foundation. For us, innovation means turning bold ideas into reality and changing lives for the better. We use our expertise, skills and funding in areas where there are big challenges facing society.

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A healthy life

A healthy life

A healthy life

Our mission is to increase the average number of healthy years lived in the UK, while narrowing health inequalities.

The challenge

Everyone deserves to live a long and healthy life, no matter where they live or their life circumstances. But right now, some people are dying years earlier than they should. In many cases this is because they are living with obesity, a condition that cuts lives short by increasing the risk of disease and other health problems. One of the main causes of obesity is unhealthy food and drink.

Nesta is working with partners across the public, private and non-profit sector to design, test and scale innovative solutions to reducing obesity.

Our goal

Our goal is to help people live longer, healthier lives by halving the number of people with obesity in the UK over the ten years to 2030.

We will do this by:

  • making food healthier by encouraging reformulation and smaller portion sizes
  • making healthier food more appealing by shifting promotional activity towards healthier choices
  • making healthy food more accessible, affordable and convenient.

A blueprint to halve obesity in the UK

Nesta has collaborated with academic experts to build a toolkit that evaluates the impact and cost of different policies to reduce obesity. For the first time, it is possible to identify the most effective routes to pursue and at what scale, based on the strength of the evidence about what works and how much each would cost to implement.

Work

Read the latest work and thinking from our mission

Projects

The latest on our research, challenges and practical programmes

People

Speak to us about partnerships or find out more about the people behind our healthy life mission

Hugo Harper

Hugo Harper

Mission Director, healthy life mission

Hugo Harper

Mission Director, healthy life mission

Hugo leads Nesta's healthy life mission.

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John Barber

John Barber

Deputy Director, healthy life mission

John Barber

Deputy Director, healthy life mission

John is a deputy director of the healthy life mission.

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Lauren Bowes Byatt

Lauren Bowes Byatt

Deputy Director, healthy life mission

Lauren Bowes Byatt

Deputy Director, healthy life mission

Lauren is the Deputy Director of the healthy life mission.

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