Dr Kawther Hashem, BSc MSc PhD RNutr (Public Health)

Profile

I am a Lecturer in Public Health Nutrition and lead the Public Health Nutrition module of the MSc and iBSc in Global Public Health and Policy. I also head the research and impact of our action on sugar workstream at the Research and Action on Salt and Obesity unit.

I have a BSc in Nutrition from King’s College London, a MSc in Food Policy from City University London and a PhD in Preventive Medicine focusing on sugar reduction from Queen Mary University of London. My PhD project and associated publications contributed to the impact case study for the REF2021.

My research background and interests focus on the impact of food and nutrition policies on food and drink product composition. Notable areas of interest include the effects of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, the UK Government’s sugar and calorie reduction programmes, restrictions on promotions and advertising for high-fat, salt, and sugar foods and the use of nutrition claims and child-appealing packaging on products. I have experience in working across diverse sectors including the food industry, non-governmental organisations, and most recently academia.

I currently hold a prestigious NIHR Advanced Fellowship looking at the policies that led to food reformulation to reduce sugar in the top contributors to sugar intake in children in the UK. As part of the fellowship, I will be a Visiting Scholar at the Centre for Food Policy at City University of London.

I am also a visiting lecturer on nutrition and food policy at several UK universities and I am regularly invited to comment on nutrition topics and food policy in the media.

Research

Research Interests:

• Food environments
• Food and nutrition policies
• Public Health Nutrition
• Sugar Reduction
• Childhood obesity
• Food Reformulation
• Soft Drinks Industry Levy

Publications

Hashem, K.M, Burt, H.E., Brown, M.K., et al, (2024). Outcomes of sugar reduction policies, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 102(6).

Pombo-Rodrigues, S., Hashem, K. M.,* Tan, M., et al, (2020). Nutrition Profile of Products with Cartoon Animations on the Packaging: A UK Cross-Sectional Survey of Foods and Drinks. Nutrients 12(3).

Alessandrini, R., He, F. J., Hashem, K. M., Tan, M., et al. (2019). Reformulation and Priorities for Reducing Energy Density; Results from a Cross-Sectional Survey on Fat Content in Pre-Packed Cakes and Biscuits Sold in British Supermarkets. Nutrients 11(6).

Hashem, K. M., He, F. J., Alderton, S. A., et al. (2019). Cross-Sectional Survey of the Amount of Sugar and Energy in Chocolate Confectionery on Sold in the UK in 1992 and 2017.  Nutrients 11(8).

Hashem, K. M., He, F. J., MacGregor, G.A. (2019). Effects of product reformulation on sugar intake and health-a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutr Rev 77(3): 181-196.

Hashem, K. M., He, F. J., MacGregor, G. A. (2019). Labelling changes in response to a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Bull World Health Organ 97(12): 818-827.

Lin, L., Li, C., Jin, C., Peng, Y., Hashem, K. M. (2018). Sugar and energy content of carbonated sugar-sweetened beverages in Haidian District, Beijing: a cross-sectional study. BMJ Open 8(8): e022048.

Hashem, K. M., He, F. J., Alderton, S. A., et al. (2018). Cross-sectional survey of the amount of sugar and energy in cakes and biscuits on sale in the UK for the evaluation of the sugar-reduction programme. BMJ Open 8(7): e019075.

Hashem, K. M., He, F. J., MacGregor, G. A. (2017). Cross-sectional surveys of the amount of sugar, energy and caffeine in sugar-sweetened drinks marketed and consumed as energy drinks in the UK between 2015 and 2017: monitoring reformulation progress. BMJ Open 7(12): e018136.

Pombo-Rodrigues, S., Hashem, K. M.,* He, F. J., et al. (2017). Salt and sugars content of breakfast cereals in the UK from 1992 to 2015. Public Health Nutr 20(8): 1500-1512.

Hashem, K., Rosborough J., (2017). Why Tax Sugar Sweetened Beverages? J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 65(4): 358-359.

Boulton, J., Hashem K. M.,* Jenner K. H., et al. (2016). How much sugar is hidden in drinks marketed to children? A survey of fruit juices, juice drinks and smoothies. BMJ Open 6(3): e010330.

Visram, S., Hashem K. (2016) Energy drinks: what's the evidence? Food Research Collaboration.

Hashem, K. M., He, F. J., Jenner K. H., et al. (2016). Cross-sectional survey of the amount of free sugars and calories in carbonated sugar-sweetened beverages on sale in the UK. BMJ Open 6(11): e010874.

Hashem, K. M., He, F.J., MacGregor, G. A. (2016). Systematic review of the literature on the effectiveness of product reformulation measures to reduce the sugar content of food and drink on the population's sugar consumption and health: a study protocol. BMJ Open 6(6): e011052.

Ma, Y., He, F. J., Yin, Y., Hashem, K. M., et al. (2016). "Gradual reduction of sugar in soft drinks without substitution as a strategy to reduce overweight, obesity, and type 2 diabetes: a modelling study." Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 4(2): 105-114.

Hashem, K., Pombo-Rodrigues, S., Capewell, S. (2015). Reducing Sodium in the Global Food Supply to Reduce Population Burden of Cardiovascular Disease. Current Cardiovascular Risk Reports.

Hashem, K., McDonald, L., Parker, J., et al. (2015). Does Sugar Pass the Environmental and Social Test? Food Research Collaboration.

Macgregor, G. A. and Hashem, K. M. (2014). Action on sugar-lessons from UK salt reduction programme. Lancet 383(9921): 929-931.

Hashem, K. M., He F. J., Jenner, K. H., et al. (2014). Cross-sectional survey of salt content in cheese: a major contributor to salt intake in the UK. BMJ Open 4(8): e005051.

*joint first author

Supervision

I am interested in supervising PhD projects on food and nutrition policy, food and drink product composition, childhood obesity, food reformulation, sugar and calorie reduction.