The British Feeding and Drinking Group (BFDG): the 50th edition

This year, April 23 and 24, 2026 we had a very special edition of the Annual Meeting of the British Feeding and Drinking Group (BFDG): the 50th edition. It was held in the Netherlands and organised by the Sensory Science & Eating Group, Nutrition & Health, Wageningen University & Research. With up to 260 people attending, the conference was completely sold out.
The two-day scientific programme was truly inspiring, featuring two keynote speakers: Remco Havermans from Maastricht University Venlo, who spoke about behavioural gastronomy and why it matters — “better living through better eating” — and, on day two, Keri McCrickerd from the National University of Singapore, who discussed why evidence sometimes isn’t enough: why eating behaviour interventions struggle to work.
In addition to the two keynotes, we had more than 30 talks and over 80 poster presentations. The focus of the first day included smell and taste changes in oncology patients or users of GLP-1 agonists, sustainability and meat replacements, early feeding, and selective eating in children, food environment policy, and a myriad of posters showcasing cutting-edge nutrition science during the coffee breaks. The day concluded with a lovely gala dinner at the venue, a very creative pub quiz, and a party with a DJ on the dance floor!
The second day included talks on food education in schools, the impact of exposure to ultra-processed foods, sweet taste and high-fat/high-sugar diets on health, and oral processing and sensory drivers of food and energy intake, layered with breaks to explore the final excellent posters. We look back on an amazing British Feeding and Drinking Group meeting for this 50th anniversary edition: two days filled with science, connection, and inspiration.