Menu

Search

Tim Lang

Tim Lang

Professor of Food Policy, City University London

Tim Lang has been Professor of Food Policy at City University London's Centre for Food Policy since 2002. After a PhD in social psychology at Leeds University, he became a hill farmer in the 1970s which shifted his attention to food policy, where it has been ever since. For years, he's engaged in academic and public research and debate about its direction, locally to globally. His abiding interest is how policy addresses the environment, health, social justice, and citizens. What is a good food system? How is ours measured and measuring up?

He has been a consultant to the World Health Organisation (eg auditing the Global Top 25 Food Companies on food and health), FAO (eg co-chairing the definition of sustainable diets) and UNEP (eg co-writing its 2012 Avoiding Future Famines report). He has been a special advisor to four House of Commons Select Committee inquiries (food standards x 2, globalisation and obesity), and a consultant on food security to the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House). He was a Commissioner on the UK Government's Sustainable Development Commission (2006-11), reviewing progress on food sustainability. He was on the Council of Food Policy Advisors to the Dept for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (2008-10), and was appointed to the Mayor of London's Food Board in 2010. He helped launch the 100 World Cities Urban Food Policy Pact in Milan 2015.

He and the Centre for Food Policy at City University London work closely with civil society organisations, through Sustain the UK NGO alliance (which he chaired in the past) and the UK Food Group. He has been a Vice-President of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (since 1999) and President of Garden Organic (since 2008). He currently chairs the Food Research Collaboration, an inter-University, inter-disciplinary academic collaboration with UK civil society (www.foodresearch.org.uk), and leads his University's involvement in the 5 University IFSTAL partnership (www.ifstal.ac.uk) which shares food systems thinking for post-graduates in a wide range of disciplines.

He has written and co-written many articles, reports, chapters and books. His most recent books are Food Wars (with Michael Heasman, Routledge, 2015), Unmanageable Consumer (with Yiannis Gabriel, Sage, 2015), Ecological Public Health (with Geof Rayner, Routedge Earthscan, 2012), Food Policy (with D Barling and M Caraher, Oxford University Press, 2009) and the Atlas of Food (with E Millstone, Earthscan 2003/2008). He writes frequently in the media and wrote a monthly column in The Grocer 2000-15.

He was elected Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health in 2001, and Fellow by Distinction in 2014; is an Hon Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Cooks (City of London); and won the Agri-Bagri Award of the Australia-New Zealand AgriFoodNetwork. He rides a bicycle to work, doesn't own a car and grows vegetables and fruit in his London garden.

His current research interests include:
- The political and policy battles over sustainable diets and the meaning of food security;
- Institutional failure to create coherent food policies;
- Food democracy and the growth of democratic experimentalism about the future of food;
- The shape and status of EU, UK and global food policies

Briferendum Series

UK food faces historic realignment after Brexit

Jun 30, 2016 13:14 pm UTC| Insights & Views Business

The situation created by the British vote to leave the European Union is momentous for UK food. It is on a par with the Repeal of the Corn Laws of 1846 when Britain decided its Empire could feed it, not its own farmers....

1 

Economy

Why China’s economy has hit a wall

Chinas annual parliamentary meetings in Beijing came to a close on March 11. They were conducted under great pressure: a weak economy and high expectations from both the domestic public and international observers as to...

Vladimir Putin’s gold strategy explains why sanctions against Russia have failed

There are more than 16,000 sanctions imposed against Russia. Yet the Russian economy and war machine grew by 3.6 per cent in 2023 and is projected to grow another 2.6 in 2024. Nearly six per cent of Russias gross...

Mentorship is key to improving social and economic outcomes for Black youth

Black youth in Canada experience poorer educational achievement than other children and youth, which leads to subsequent poor economic outcomes. A series of problems and barriers contribute to poor educational outcomes....

There’s an extra $1 billion on the table for NT schools. This could change lives if spent well

The federal and Northern Territory governments have just made a historic funding announcement of about A$1 billion for schools in the territory. This includes an extra $737.7 million from the federal government and an...

Undersea cables for Africa’s internet retrace history and leave digital gaps as they connect continents

Large parts of west and central Africa, as well as some countries in the south of the continent, were left without internet services on 14 March because of failures on four of the fibre optic cables that run below the...

Politics

China's Commerce Minister to Advocate EV Sector in Europe Amid Subsidy, Tariff Probe

Chinas Commerce Minister Wang Wentao is set to visit Europe in April to address concerns and advocate for the Chinese electric vehicle (EV) industry amid a European Commission investigation into alleged unfair...

Chinese Hackers Target US Officials and Dissidents in Cyber Espionage Scheme

Seven nationals of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) face charges for a long-term cyber espionage campaign targeting political dissidents and officials in the US, marking a significant escalation in international cyber...

SpaceX Builds Spy Satellites for US; Russia Warns of Military Response

Russia has issued a stark warning to the United States, stating that the use of SpaceXs satellites for espionage could render them targets for military action. This follows revelations that SpaceX is constructing a spy...

Deepfakes are still new, but 2024 could be the year they have an impact on elections

Disinformation caught many people off guard during the 2016 Brexit referendum and US presidential election. Since then, a mini-industry has developed to analyse and counter it. Yet despite that, we have entered 2024 a...

Science

How do airplanes fly? An aerospace engineer explains the physics of flight

Airplane flight is one of the most significant technological achievements of the 20th century. The invention of the airplane allows people to travel from one side of the planet to the other in less than a day, compared...

The mystery of consciousness shows there may be a limit to what science alone can achieve

The progress of science in the last 400 years is mind-blowing. Who would have thought wed be able to trace the history of our universe to its origins 14 billion years ago? Science has increased the length and the quality...

What is minoxidil, the anti-balding hair growth treatment? Here’s what the science says

Hair loss (also known as alopecia) often affects the scalp but can occur anywhere on the body. Its very common and usually nothing to worry about; about half of Australian men show signs of visible baldness at age 50 and...

Our survey of the sky is uncovering the secrets of how planets are born

When we look out to the stars, it is typically not a yearning for the distant depths of outer space that drives us. When we are looking out there, we are truly looking back at ourselves. We try to understand our place in...

Archeoastronomy uses the rare times and places of previous total solar eclipses to help us measure history

Total solar eclipses have fascinated and terrified people for centuries. Today, we know that total solar eclipses like the upcoming eclipse on April 8 are caused by a cosmic coincidence when the moon comes between the...

Technology

Tesla Cybertruck Gears Up for Thailand, Steals Spotlight in Mexico

As Teslas Cybertruck prepares to debut in Thailand, excitement builds following its attention-grabbing tour in Mexico. Recent discussions hint at a potential Tesla gigafactory in Thailand, and the all-electric trucks...

Dogecoin Surges 20% Amid Coinbase Listing Buzz and Whale Moves

Dogecoins price leaped 20%, bucking the market downtrend. Spurred by its upcoming Coinbase listing and a spike in whale transactions, it attracted investor interest. Dogecoin Rallies 20% as Coinbase Futures Listing...

Shiba Inu's Burn Rate Soars by 1,200%, BTC Eyes $80K Pre-Halving Rally

The Shiba Inu community witnesses a staggering 1,200% spike in its burn rate, fueling optimism for a bullish rally, while experts predict Bitcoin (BTC) will approach $80,000 ahead of its next halving. Shiba Inus Burn...

Take-Two Interactive Buys Gearbox Entertainment Company From Embracer

Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. announced it is acquiring Gearbox Entertainment, which the Embracer Group is slashing from its portfolio. The New York-based video game holding firm said the deal is valued at $460...
  • Market Data
Close

Welcome to EconoTimes

Sign up for daily updates for the most important
stories unfolding in the global economy.