I research UK food policy and food systems, with a focus on sustainability, especially social sustainability and its alignment with environmental sustainability. To investigate these topics I use qualitative social research methods, including documentary analysis, policy mapping and interviewing. My research has investigated how diverse actors in the UK food system attempt to define and operationalise social aspects of sustainability. I have also participated in EU-funded research projects on the transmission of ethical concerns along food supply chains, and on the development of a tool that small-scale food businesses could use to assess and share their (social) sustainability performance. As part of the Food Systems and Policy Research Group within the Centre for Agriculture, Food and Environmental Management Research (CAFEM) at the University of Hertfordshire, I am exploring the UK's agri-food policy transition and integration, including for horticulture, to see how this might support progress towards more sustainable land use and greater security of domestic food production. From 2020-2023, I was Director of the Food Research Collaboration, based at the Centre for Food Policy at City, University of London, which facilitated knowledge exchange between academics, civil society groups and policy makers. Building collaborations with stakeholders and including their voices in research projects remains important, and I draw on my early experience as a journalist to help share and communicate research findings.