Conference programme

The British Feeding and Drinking Group Annual Meeting 50th Anniversary 23 – 24 April 2026

Conference Programme

Please find the whole program below.

Day one – April 23

Day One – Thursday 23rd April 2026
08:00-09:00Registration & refreshments
Posters set up
09:00-09:10Welcome to the 50th Annual British Feeding and Drinking Group
  09:10-10:00  Keynote 1 Title: “Behavioural gastronomy. What it is and why it matters”  – Remco Havermans, Maastricht University.  
  10:00-11:15  Session 1: Omnium gatherum
* Smell and taste function after completion of childhood cancer treatment – Mirjam van den Brink, Princess Maxima Centre for Paediatric Oncology.
* Regaining food pleasure: can sensory-adapted food design improve the eating experience in patients with cancer? – Reisya Rizki Riantiningtyas, University Claude Bernard Lyon 1 and Institute Lyfe Research Centre.
* The effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist use on chemosensory systems and ingestive behaviour – Giorgia Rutigliani, Purdue University.
* Full of it? Comparison of subjective and MRI-based assessment of gastric fullness in free-living adults – Guido Camps, Wageningen University and Research.
* Multi-component food items and intake: a bogus taste test study – Laura Wilkinson, Swansea University.  
11:15-12:15Poster session and refreshments and Poster viewing
  12:15-13:15  Session 2: Sustainable diets and meat reduction
* Making Veganuary stick: implementation intentions and predictors of meat reduction – Sophie Hearn, University of Exeter.
* Facilitators and barriers to adopting plant-based diets in childhood: UK parents’ perspectives – Alice Coffey, University of Warwick.
* Vegans are seen as taste martyrs by people who eat animal-products – but they’re not – Esther K. Papies, Radboud University.
* Assessing healthy and sustainable dietary behaviour in Dutch practical education students – Madelief Engels, Wageningen University & Research.  
13:15-14:15Lunch and Poster viewing
  14:15-15:30  Session 3: Early feeding, selective eating and development  
* Infants’ social learning about foods – Camille Rioux, Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l’Alimentation (Université Bourgogne Europe, Institut Agro, CNRS.
* Exploring early feeding and growth patterns for ARFID using the British Gemini twin cohort – Zeynep Nas, University College London.
* “When yuck foods stick”: memory bias for disliked foods is related to pickiness in eating – Chantal Nederkoorn, Maastricht University.
* Identifying eating behaviour phenotype cut-off scores for childhood obesity: An individual participant data meta-analysis using the Child Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ) – Laura Kudlek, University of Heidelberg.
* Parental perceptions about the effectiveness and ease of creating positive eating experiences to improve children’s vegetable intake – Katie Edwards, University of Birmingham.  
15:30-16:00Refreshments and Poster viewing
  16:00-17:00  Session 4: Food Environment Policy  
* Nutri-Score labelling as an obesity policy in the out-of-home food sector: a UK RCT – Amy Finlay, University of Liverpool.
* Addressing access and affordability of fresh fruit and vegetables in social housing communities: a clustered randomised-controlled trial protocol.–Courtney Neal, University of Liverpool
* The Role of Social Needs in Dynamic Norm Messages for Reduced Meat Consumption – Theresa Fox, Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen.
* Does reducing the visibility of meat promotions influence purchasing behaviour? A supermarket field experiment – Lotte de Lint, Wageningen University and Research.  
17:00-17:05Closing remarks
17:15-18:00BFDG Business meeting All welcome
19:00-23:30Gala Dinner, Pub Quiz, And Disco Extravaganza with drinks
Day Two – Friday 24th April 2026  
08:00-09:00Welcome and Refreshments
09:00-09:10Welcome to Day 2
  09:10-10:00  Keynote 2: ‘When evidence isn’t enough: Why eating behaviour interventions struggle to work’ Keri McCrickerd, National University of Singapore.  

  10:00-11:00		  Session 5: Schools, adolescents and food education  
* Healthy beverages in a sugary world: Dutch adolescents’ perspectives – Rian Pepping, Public Health Service of Amsterdam (GGD).
* Children’s acceptance and liking of novel UK-grown beans in primary schools – Charlotte Hardman, University of Liverpool.
* Effect of the Dutch school-based culinary class ‘Kok in de Klas’ on cooking competences – Zoë van der Heijden, Wageningen University and Research.
* How to involve parents in school-based programs: perceptions of parents, schools, and health professionals – Harriëtte Snoek, Wageningen University and Research.  
11:00-12:00Poster session and refreshments Poster viewing
  12:00-13:15  Session 6: Impact of Exposure to Ultra-Processed foods, Sweet taste and high-Fat and Sugar diets and on Health   A systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs examining the impact ultra-processed vs. less processed food on energy intake and body weight – Victoria Norton, University of Liverpool.
* Meal texture and eating rate as drivers of energy intake in ultra-processed food diets – Marieke van Bruinessen, Wageningen University and Research.
* Consuming an unprocessed diet reduces energy intake: A role for human nutritional intelligence? – Jeff Brunstrom, University of Bristol.
* Effect of dietary sweet taste exposure on glycaemic variability: the SWEET TOOTH study – Monica Mars, Wageningen University and Research.
* Cognitive and behavioural effects of removing high-fat, high-sugar diets in rodents: A meta-analysis –  Simone Rehn, University of Technology Sydney.  
13:15-14:15Lunch Poster viewing
  14:15-15:15  Session 7: Texture, Oral processing & Sensory drivers of Food and Energy intake  
* Role of texture in eating behaviour in Dutch primary schoolchildren: a naturalistic classroom study – Gerry Jager, Wageningen University & Research.
* Easier to eat meal textures support faster eating rate and greater daily energy intake in older adults living in care homes – Dimitra Zannidi, University of Reading.
* Chewing behaviour and food bolus formation during dental transition in school age children – Léna Nicolle, Université Bourgogne Europe, Institut Agro, CNRS, INRAE.
* Preferred Umami Taste Intensity and Food intake During an Ad Libitum Lunch Meal – Merel van der Kruijssen, Wageningen University & Research.  
15:15-15:25Closing Remarks and Announcement of the 2027 BFDG