Following 9 years as a Research Officer and Scientific Officer in the Medical Research Council Dunn Nutrition Unit (Cambridge) and Environmental Epidemiology Unit (Southampton), Dr Michael Nelson joined the academic staff at King’s College London in 1985. He was promoted to Reader in Public Health Nutrition in September 2003. From April 2006, he has been on secondment to the School Food Trust as Director of Research and Nutrition, leading a team of 12 staff. He has a long-standing interest in the diets of children in the UK, and has carried out research in school children on diet and health, cognitive function, mood and achievement. He has a special interest in diet and poverty: he chaired the Low Income Project Team for the Department of Health Nutrition Task Force in 1996; wrote the chapter on nutrition for the Acheson Inquiry into Inequalities in Health in 1998; and was the Principal Investigator in nutrition in a national survey of diet and nutrition in low income households in the UK funded by the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Between 2003 and 2006, his research team at King’s completed two national studies on school food provision and consumption in primary and secondary schools in England, jointly funded by FSA and the Department for Education (DfE). In 2005, he led the nutrition group on the School Meals Review Panel for the DfE, helping to develop the basis for the current standards for school food in England. Altogether, he has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles and publicly available publications. Research carried out by the School Food Trust includes two national surveys between 2009 and 2011 of school food and packed lunch provision and consumption in primary and secondary schools in England, showing the clear benefits of the introduction of school food standards between 2006 and 2008. Other research includes evidence of the benefits of healthy eating at lunchtime on learning behaviour in the classroom after lunch in both primary and secondary schools; tracking changes in school lunch take up in England; and engaging with colleagues internationally on links between school food standards, evidence and policy. The Trust led the DfE sponsored Advisory Panel on Food and Nutrition in Early Years in 2010. Click here to go the Trust’s Research page, with links to all of the research, monitoring, and guidance and assessment tools relating to the standards, and recent publications.

1. Golley R, Baines E, Bassett P, Wood L, Pearce J, Nelson M. School lunch and learning behaviour in primary schools: an intervention study. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2010 Nov;64(11):1280-8
2. Sharp L, Mucavele P, Nelson M. Preliminary Review of Early Years Food, Nutrition and Healthy Eating Guidance in England: A Summary. School Food Trust. Sheffield. School Food Trust. 2010.
3. Storey HC, Pearce J, Ashfield-Watt PA, Wood L, Baines E, Nelson M. A randomized controlled trial of the effect of school food and dining room modifications on classroom behaviour in secondary school children. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2011 Jan;65(1):32-8.
4. Haroun D, Harper C, Wood L, Nelson M. The impact of the food-based and nutrient-based standards on lunchtime food and drink provision and consumption in primary schools in England. Public Health Nutr. 2011 Feb;14(2):209-18.
5. Stevens L, Nelson M. The contribution of school meals and packed lunch to food consumption and nutrient intakes in UK primary school children from a low income population. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2011 Feb 21
6. Matthews A, Nelson M, Kaur A, Rayner M, Kelly P, Cowburn G. Where has all the chocolate gone? A national survey assesses the effects of recent legislation to improve the nutritional quality of English secondary-school vending. Public Health Nutr. 2011 Aug;14(8):1394-402. Epub 2011 Mar 23. PubMed PMID: 21426622.
7. Haroun D, Wood L, Harper C, Nelson M. Nutrient-based standards for school lunches complement food-based standards and improve pupils’ nutrient intake profile. Br J Nutr. 2011 Aug;106(4):472-4. Epub 2011 May 31. PubMed PMID:21736822.
8. Micha R, Rogers PJ, Nelson M. Glycaemic index and glycaemic load of breakfast predict cognitive function and mood in school children: a randomised controlled trial. Br J Nutr. 2011 Nov;106(10):1552-61. Epub 2011 Jun 8. PubMed PMID: 21736777.
9. Nelson M. The School Food Trust: transforming school lunches in England. Nutrition Bulletin 2011;36(3):381-389. Chichester. Wiley Online Library. 11 August, 2011. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-3010.2011.01914.x
10. Pearce J, Wood L, Nelson M. Lunchtime food and nutrient intake of secondary school pupils; a comparison of school lunches and packed lunches following the introduction of mandatory food-based standards for school lunch. Public Health Nutrition (in press)
11. Nelson M. School food cost benefits: England. Public Health Nutrition 2012 (in press)
12. Stevens L, Nicholas J, Wood L, Nelson M. School lunches versus packed lunches: a comparison in a representative sample of secondary schools in England following the introduction of compulsory school food standards. Public Health Nutrition 2012 (in press)
13. Wood L, Nicholas J, Nelson M. School food: Perceptions of head teachers and local authorities. School Food Trust. Sheffield. School Food Trust. 2011.
14. Nelson M, Nicholas J, Riley K, Wood L, Russell S. Sixth annual survey of take up of school lunches in England. School Food Trust. Sheffield. School Food Trust. 2011.
15. Nelson M, Nicholas J, Wood L, Riley K, Russell S. Take up of school lunches in England 2010-2011: Statistical release. School Food Trust. Sheffield. School Food Trust. 2011.
16. Matthews A, Cowburn G, Foster C, Pearce J, Nelson M. Food purchases and consumption on the journey to and from school: a pilot study. School Food Trust. Sheffield. School Food Trust. 2011.
17. Nelson M. Parent voice: School meals and packed lunches. School Food Trust. Sheffield. School Food Trust. 2011.
18. Nelson M, Nicholas J, Riley K, Wood L. Seventh annual survey of take up of school lunches in England. School Food Trust. Sheffield. School Food Trust. 2012.
19. Nicholas J, Wood L, Nelson M. Secondary school food survey 2011. 1. School lunch: provision, selection and consumption. 2012. Sheffield. School Food Trust.