Food industry nutrition advisor conflicts, and regulation of healthcare AI

Back in 2024, the BMJ revealed how more than half of the members of the UK government's Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, had declared financial interests with food and drinks companies. A tightening of the rules followed, but two years after our initial investigation, we have returned - and we found that nearly a third of nutrition advisors still have significant ties to the food industry. Chris Van Tulleken, professor of infection and immunology at University College London, and author of the book “Ultra Processed People”, joins us to explain why he thinks ongoing industry ties are bad for the UK's health.   Also this week. We have tight regulation of medical tech in the UK, but new AI tools don’t fit neatly into that existing process - and so the government has set up a National Commission on the Regulation of AI in Healthcare,  Alastair Denniston, and Henrietta Hughes, who headed that commission, join us to explain how AI should be monitored, how we can ensure it's safety, and who should be responsible when something goes wrong.   Reading list: A third of UK government’s nutrition advisers are still paid by food industry, including Coca Cola and Nestlé National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare: Recommendations for a future regulatory framework