Bramble Partners

🚨 Where next for Labour Food Policy? 🚨 Last week was a big one for announcements: 💥 Tuesday: Rt Hon Steve Reed OBE MP hosted a round-table to launch Labour's national food strategy and outlined their approach. 💥 Wednesday: The Government released its 3-yearly United Kingdom Food Security Report—a key requirement of the 2020 Agriculture Act. 💥 Thursday: Chris Whitty launched his annual report, Health in Cities. (The government also announced that councils could prevent takeaways opening near schools.) Both reports are excellent reads and worth your time. But TLDR: UK Food Security Report The major long term challenges aren’t inheritance tax or this year’s rain. The real issues are:🌱 The damage the agricultural sector is doing to natural capital, threatening future food production; 🍽️ The harm our current food system does to public health, especially for those in poverty. Health in Cities Whitty’s report reinforces the point on health—poor diets disproportionately impact urban areas and low-income households. He places an emphasis on changing food environments, not just relying on the old canards of will power and education. What of Labour's national food strategy?: While details are sparse, what we do know is encouraging: 1️⃣ It’s happening ✅ 2️⃣ It’s systemic—pulling in health and education ✅ 3️⃣ It’s collaborative ✅ 4️⃣ Reed explicitly referenced my National Food Strategy ✅ But, this will be a monumental task for Rt Hon Steve Reed OBE MP, The Rt. Hon. Wes Streeting MP, and Bridget Phillipson. Success will demand systemic thinking and cross-department collaboration which means there is a high chance of it getting bogged down. Tips on how to avoid that fate can be found in the report I wrote with Dr Dolly van Tulleken https://lnkd.in/eDhta9sS. Which was published the week before thanks to Nesta and Impact on Urban Health. Power to their collective elbows.

We are thrilled to announce that Aarthi Thangavel has joined Bramble Intelligence as an Associate 🌸 Aarthi has spent her career so far focussed on sustainability, innovation and food - most recently as an Associate for True. and an Analyst for FoodLabs. She has joined with incredible energy and a passion for transforming the food system. This was ignited at a young age when she wrote her dissertation on the impact of education on obesity in the UK and then focussed on driving awareness for tackling Type 2 diabetes in the South Asian community. Aarthi, we are very lucky to have you in the team. Here’s to the start of an exciting future together 💫

Last month the wonderful Hugo Engel joined us as a Consultant for Bramble Intelligence 🚀 Hugo has a strong combination of strategy consulting and innovation experience. He was previously responsible for the digital transformation at LEON Restaurants and most recently as a Strategy and Innovation Consultant for Accenture Song. His passion for transforming the food system is palpable and his hands on experience with both innovators and established businesses gives him a unique perspective on the system. Hugo, we are thrilled to have you on board 💫 We can’t wait to see what impact you will have on the future of the food system.

“It’s so complex, it’s so difficult, it’s so upstream, how do you get your arms wrapped around it? The truth is, I can tell you now how to do it… it’s hard, it’s f*cking hard, but there’s a series of levers that you can pull.”    Alan Milburn. Former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care of the UK ‼️   For three decades, successive governments have grappled with the question of how to tackle the UK’s food-related health crisis - yet here we are: obesity levels have doubled, two-thirds of adults are living with obesity, and the strain on our NHS has never been greater.     Dr Dolly van Tulleken and Henry Dimbleby set out to uncover the real barriers to change by speaking with those who have been in the political trenches. They interviewed 20 senior politicians - including Sir Tony Blair, Lord David Cameron, and Boris Johnson - about what went wrong when they tried to act and, crucially, what it takes to get it right.     The result is Nourishing Britain, a political manual for improving the nation’s health. They discovered that the barriers to change are as human as they are political and passing meaningful policy is about as easy as reformulating a doughnut.     The advice in the report is practical and actionable. It’s a mix of grit and hilarity. And most importantly, this isn’t a list of policies; it’s a manual for today’s politicians.    Huge congratulations are in order for Dr Dolly van Tulleken and Henry Dimbleby on this excellent piece of work and to the superb editing of jemima lewis.

🌟 Huge news at Bramble 🌟 We’re delighted to announce that as of this week Chris Mitchell is joining us as Co-Founder and Partner of Bramble Partners and Managing Partner of Bramble Intelligence. Chris has an uncanny ability to connect the dots across data, systems, and strategy, making the most complex problems feel solvable. His passion and deep knowledge of the food system stems from over two decades of experience driving transformation across agriculture and sustainability. Most recently, as Managing Director & Partner at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) where he set up the food systems practice in Africa and prior to this he spent a decade at Bain & Company working on agriculture and consumer products 🚜 …But he isn’t just a thinker - he’s had us all in stitches countless times. He’s the kind of person who can make you laugh in the middle of a conversation about carbon credits or supply chain bottlenecks. He is a pleasure to be with and inspiring to work alongside. At Bramble Intelligence, he’s taking the lead in helping companies, NGO’s, and governments to develop strategies for a global food system focused on prosperity, health, and environmental sustainability 🌱 Chris, here’s to an amazing journey ahead! 🚀 We are lucky to have you and we can’t wait to see the impact that Bramble Intelligence will have on global food system transformation with you at the helm 🙌

🚬 Thirty years from now, I want people to look back at our current diet with such a high level of junk food with the same disbelief we feel when we remember people lighting up cigarettes on the bus - or smoking at the back of a plane. Like, “wait… we used to eat that stuff? That was weird?!” Last week, I had the privilege of delivering the Andrew Carnegie Lecture at the University of Aberdeen in honour of the 75th Anniversary of Boyd Orr. I spoke about the pressing issue that's quietly undermining our nation's health and prosperity: our modern diet. 🍔 Diet-related illnesses are costing the UK nearly £100 billion annually, and we’re currently not doing nearly enough to actively address this. This isn’t about diminishing cultural staples like fish & chips or bangers and mash - it’s about a system wide plan, led by government, to grab the nettle and tackle the underlying causes of diet related diseases. This starts with examining and enhancing the food environment: the economic, political, physical, and social context in which people make food choices. The UK can lead the world on showing how to address this public health crisis. 🌿

Every child deserves a fair shot at health - not just those in the “right” post code. Let’s be clear: children aren’t choosing this. Almost one in ten children in England are already obese by the time they step into a classroom. But here’s the real kicker: children from the most deprived areas are more than twice as likely to face this struggle. Why? Because we’ve built a system where access to healthy food is a privilege, and access to junk food is far too cheap and easy. The numbers are staggering. 22.1% of Year 6 children are now classified as obese. This is fuelled by an environment loaded with ultra-processed, high-sugar, high-fat options and relentless junk food advertising. This is more than a public health crisis; it’s an equity issue, an economic issue and a justice issue. The National Food Strategy, authored by Henry Dimbleby, offers a blueprint for a healthier, fairer food system: 🥒 Sugar and Salt Reformulation Tax: A wholesale tax on sugar and salt to encourage manufacturers to produce healthier products, with funds supporting school nutrition programs. 🥕 Expand Free School Meals (FSM): Broadens FSM eligibility to provide more children with access to nutritious meals during school hours. 🫘 Extend the Holiday Activities and Food Programme: Ensures consistent access to meals and activities for children from disadvantaged backgrounds during school breaks. 🌳 Enhance the Healthy Start Scheme: Increases financial support for low-income families to buy fruits and vegetables, expanding accessibility for more families. 🍽️ Restrict Junk Food Advertising: Limits children’s exposure to junk food ads on TV and online to promote healthier food choices. The Times

💬 Henry Dimbleby's spot-on reflections from the new budget... Rachel Reeves has put food firmly within the net zero and health agenda, but there’s more work to be done.  💫

🌏 Yesterday was World Food Day, a moment for us to pause and reflect on the vast, complex system that sustains us all - but at what cost? 🌾 As we sit down to eat, it's easy to forget that our choices are not just our own; they are shaped by a powerful and intricate food system that feeds billions but also strains our planet and our health. We’ve created a world where food is both a miracle and a disaster. The bounty of modern agriculture has solved the crisis of feeding a growing population, but it has also pushed us into a spiral of ultra-processed, unhealthy foods that harm both our bodies and the environment. We are caught in a system that prioritises quantity over quality. Yet, as we face the challenges of feeding a growing global population sustainably, it’s clear that change is inevitable, and it starts with all of us. As a team we often share photos of the meals we've cooked at home or foraged - a reminder that real food nourishes more than just our bodies - it sustains our connections, creativity, and well-being. 📸 🍴 Reflecting on World Food Day, let’s remember that our food system is not just something we’re trapped in - it’s something we can change! 🚀 

🚀 We're Hiring: Associate at Bramble Investments! Do you have 3+ years of experience in venture capital or similar investment settings, and want to drive positive change in the food system? Join us as we launch Bramble Fund I and invest in innovations from farm-to-fork. We’re seeking a dynamic Associate to help source investment opportunities, lead research, and support the team to execute deals at Series A - Growth stages. Join us in driving innovation that creates lasting, positive change. 💼 3+ years of VC / Investment experience 📍 London-based 🌍 Passion for transforming the food system 📊 Strong financial modelling and analytical skills 🚀 Please apply via the application form linked below. 🚀 *Application deadline is Friday 25th October ‼️