CDT Research Featured at Future Food Symposium 2025

Fourth-year CDT student Yang Bong (2021 cohort) recently presented at the Future Food Symposium 2025, held on 21st and 22nd May 2025 at the University of Birmingham. Organised by Birmingham Business School, the event focused on responsible business practices in the context of food insecurity, food waste and climate change.

Yang’s presentation, titled “‘We can grow anything here, but we can’t sell’: Market Participation in Food Surplus Rural Malaysia”, was co-authored with CDT alumni and CDT colleagues Gregor Milligan (2021), Georgiana Nica-Avram (2013) and John Harvey (2010). The paper explored the experiences of indigenous farming communities in rural Malaysia who, despite being self-sufficient through farming and foraging, face barriers in turning surplus crops into income due to limited market access. The research underscores the importance of improving digital trade infrastructure and market integration as part of broader food security strategies.

CDT alum Elizabeth Dolan (2019)also presented her work, “Food Insecurity, Consumer Purchasing Patterns, and Preventable Mortality: A Machine Learning Analysis of Retail Data”, co-authored with Gavin Long, John Harvey, and James Goulding. Their study explores how retail purchasing data can provide insights into dietary behaviours that influence health inequalities, particularly in the context of food insecurity.

The symposium brought together academics, community groups and practitioners to share insights and foster cross-sector discussions on the future of food systems.

You can find out more about the event and its programme here: Future Food Symposium 2025.

Originally posted at https://cdt.horizon.ac.uk/2025/06/06/cdt-research-featured-at-future-food-symposium-2025/