Obesity Health Alliance

What Obesity Health Alliance does

The Obesity Health Alliance (OHA) is a UK-based, non-profit policy advocacy coalition of approximately 70 health charities and medical Royal Colleges founded in 2015 to advance evidence-informed obesity prevention and healthy-weight policy. Its core products are not commercial goods but policy outputs: the Turning the Tide 10-year healthy weight strategy (30 recommendations), three campaign priorities (Reformulation, Unhealthy Food & Drink Marketing, and Promotions), the Recipe for Change campaign, and secretariat services for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Dietary Health, which it launched in 2026. Its underlying capability is coalition mobilisation and policy research rather than technology — the OHA explicitly does not develop a technology platform and has no commercial technology stack; its 'outputs' are open-access reports, briefings, consultation responses, and YouGov-commissioned public polling distributed via its website and parliamentary channels.

The OHA does not generate revenue from products or services. Its business model is membership-funded: the coalition is owned collectively by its ~70 member organisations, with policy decisions made jointly by an eight-member Steering Group (BHF, BMA, Cancer Research UK, Children's Food Campaign/Sustain, Diabetes UK, Faculty of Public Health, Nesta, Royal College of Physicians). Since 2019, the secretariat has been hosted in-kind by Diabetes UK (registered charity number 215199); prior to that, it was hosted by the UK Health Forum (2015–2019). The OHA explicitly does not accept commercial funding, preserving its independence as a core differentiator. Its target 'customers' are not buyers but beneficiaries — the UK population, particularly children and low-income families — and its go-to-market targets UK policymakers, media, and member organisations through its website, Bluesky/LinkedIn social channels, email, press engagement, and parliamentary events.

Recent strategic activity includes the May 2026 launch of the APPG on Dietary Health, the October 2025 hiring of a Policy and Advocacy Lead scoped to the NHS 10 Year Plan, and the 2026 formalisation of the Commercial Baby Food Review partnership funded by Impact on Urban Health. The OHA operates with 1–10 staff from London, is privately held as a coalition rather than a corporate entity, and does not have funding rounds, subsidiaries, or M&A activity.

Name

Obesity Health Alliance

Legal name

Obesity Health Alliance

Website

https://obesityhealthalliance.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Obesity Health Alliance is a UK non-profit coalition of approximately 70 health charities and medical Royal Colleges that advocates for evidence-informed policies on obesity, food marketing, and reformulation, serving UK policymakers and the public through campaigns, briefings, and the APPG on Dietary Health secretariat.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Policy Advocacy

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Nutrition Governance, Policy & Coordination (SUN, National Plans) (BPADAJAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nutrition & Food Security (Global Health) NGOs (HLAJAKAH), Nutrition, WASH & Social Determinants Partnerships (Cross-Sector Health Initiatives) (HLAJAOAO)

Keywords

• Obesity prevention policy
• Public health advocacy
• Food policy reform
• Healthy weight strategy
• Nutrition policy coalition

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Obesity Health Alliance (OHA) is a coalition of approximately 70 UK health organisations that collectively advocate for evidence-informed policies to improve population health and address obesity. Its work centres on three campaign priorities — Reformulation, Unhealthy Food & Drink Marketing, and Promotions — alongside the Turning the Tide 10-year healthy weight strategy, secretariat services for the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Dietary Health, the Recipe for Change campaign, and the Commercial Baby Food Review partnership programme.

Product overview

The Obesity Health Alliance is a coalition of approximately 70 health organisations working together to advocate for evidence-based policies to improve population health and address obesity in the UK. The Alliance does not offer commercial products or services; instead, it operates as a public health advocacy organisation that produces policy positions, briefings, reports, and campaigns. Its core offerings include the Turning the Tide 10-year healthy weight strategy, three campaign priorities (Reformulation, Unhealthy Food & Drink Marketing, and Promotions), secretariat services for the APPG on Dietary Health, the Recipe for Change campaign, and the Commercial Baby Food Review partnership. The Alliance is funded by its member organisations and does not accept corporate funding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Turning the Tide Strategy

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

34 partnerships are on record, tiered core, historical and major.

• Diabetes UKcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 May 2026Diabetes UK is the current host organisation of the OHA secretariat, providing administrative capacity. The OHA secretariat rotates among Steering Group organisations. Diabetes UK (registered charity number 215199) is also a member of the Steering Group.
• All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Dietary HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2026The OHA provides the secretariat for the APPG on Dietary Health, a cross-party parliamentary group founded in 2026 co-chaired by Marie Goldman MP and Jim Dickson MP. The APPG provides a forum to inform and promote parliamentary debate on policies to address poor dietary health and the commercial food system. The APPG and its secretariat receive no funding from any for-profit entity.
• UK Health ForumhistoricalStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK Health Forum hosted the OHA secretariat between 2015–2019, prior to the current arrangement with Diabetes UK.
• British Heart FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBritish Heart Foundation is a member of the OHA Steering Group and co-signatory to coalition letters and campaigns. BHF is one of eight organisations that compose the governing Steering Group.
• British Medical AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBritish Medical Association is a member of the OHA Steering Group and co-signatory to coalition letters and campaigns.
• Cancer Research UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCancer Research UK is a member of the OHA Steering Group and co-signatory to coalition letters and campaigns.
• Children's Food Campaign (Sustain)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChildren's Food Campaign, part of Sustain, is a member of the OHA Steering Group.
• Faculty of Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaculty of Public Health is a member of the OHA Steering Group.
• Royal College of PhysicianscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoyal College of Physicians is a member of the OHA Steering Group.
• Sustain: The Alliance for Better Food and FarmingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSustain (Children's Food Campaign) is a member of the OHA Steering Group. Sustain also co-convenes the Food Strategy Alliances and Good Food Bill coalition with the OHA.
• Action on Salt and SugarmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAction on Salt and Sugar is a member of the OHA and contributes expertise on sugar reduction, reformulation, and the Nutrient Profiling Model. They co-authored NPM-related blogs and represent the OHA on technical matters.
• Bite BackmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBite Back is a youth activist movement (member of OHA) campaigning for a fairer food system. They collaborate on advertising restriction advocacy and youth engagement campaigns.
• Food FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood Foundation is an OHA member and co-convenor of the Recipe for Change campaign and the Good Food Bill coalition alongside Sustain and Green Alliance.
• British Dietetic AssociationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBritish Dietetic Association is an OHA member contributing nutrition expertise and policy commentary.
• World Cancer Research FundmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld Cancer Research Fund is an OHA member providing expertise on diet-cancer linkages.
• Royal College of Pediatrics & Child HealthmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoyal College of Pediatrics & Child Health is an OHA member providing expertise on child health.
• Association of Directors of Public HealthmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation of Directors of Public Health is an OHA member contributing local government public health perspective.
• NestacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNesta is a member of the OHA Steering Group and contributes research and innovation expertise to coalition policy work.
• First Steps Nutrition TrustmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst Steps Nutrition Trust is an OHA member and co-author of the Commercial Baby Food Review and the Healthy Early Years Diets position statement. They provide scientific and nutritional expertise.
• Commercial Baby Food Review (Partnership Programme)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA structured two-year partnership programme co-led by the OHA, First Steps Nutrition Trust, Bremner & Co, and Planetary Alliance, with funding from Impact on Urban Health, to strengthen standards in the commercial baby food market through evidence, policy, and parent engagement.
• Bremner & ComajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBremner & Co is a founding partner of the Commercial Baby Food Review, shaping strategy, narrative, and partnership alignment.
• Planetary AlliancemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlanetary Alliance is a partner in the Commercial Baby Food Review, conducting rigorous baseline and endline assessment of the commercial baby food market against voluntary guidelines and WHO standards.
• Food Strategy AlliancesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Food Strategy Alliances is a coalition of five alliances (OHA, Sustain, Eating Better, Wildlife and Countryside Link, Plant-based Food Alliance) representing over 160 civil society and business organisations. The OHA co-developed 17 policy Asks for the UK Government's Food Strategy.
• Kidney Research UKmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKidney Research UK is an OHA member, listed as an attendee at the APPG on Dietary Health launch event.
• Arthritis UKmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArthritis UK is an OHA member, listed as an attendee at the APPG on Dietary Health launch event.
• Nourishing Our FuturemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNourishing Our Future is an OHA member, listed as an attendee at the APPG on Dietary Health launch event.
• Early Years Food CoalitionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEarly Years Food Coalition is an OHA member, listed as an attendee at the APPG on Dietary Health launch event.
• HENRY (Healthy Eating for the Really Young)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHENRY is an OHA member providing expertise on early years nutrition.
• Food ActivemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood Active is an OHA member contributing to the Recipe for Change campaign and public health engagement.
• Alexandra Rose CharitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlexandra Rose Charity is an OHA member that runs the Rose Voucher for Fruit & Veg project supporting low-income families, referenced in OHA local government advocacy work.
• Recipe for Change CampaignmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecipe for Change is a coalition campaign (including Sustain, Food Foundation, Action on Salt and Sugar, Bite Back, and BHF) coordinated by the OHA to hold big food accountable. The OHA leads public affairs and political outreach for this campaign.
• Local Government AssociationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal Government Association (LGA) collaborated with OHA on the Coastal Health Event at the House of Commons addressing health inequalities in coastal communities. LGA's Coastal Special Interest Group co-hosted the event.
• Steering Group OrganisationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe OHA is governed by a Steering Group of eight member organisations: British Heart Foundation, British Medical Association, Cancer Research UK, Children's Food Campaign (Sustain), Diabetes UK, Faculty of Public Health, Nesta, and Royal College of Physicians. All decisions on OHA policy and strategy are made jointly by the Steering Group.
• British Dental AssociationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBritish Dental Association is an OHA member providing oral health expertise, particularly on sugar and tooth decay.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Faculty of Public Health: Professional body for public health specialists and OHA Steering Group member. Comparable as an authoritative UK voice shaping population-level health policy on obesity, food, and inequalities.
• Royal Society for Public Health: UK public health membership organisation producing evidence and advocacy on obesity, food, and health inequalities. Comparable in mission (population-level evidence-based policy advocacy) and as a credible voice in UK public health debates.
• Action on Sugar / Consensus Action on Salt, Sugar and Health (CASSH): Expert advocacy group on salt, sugar and calorie reduction where OHA's Executive Director Katharine Jenner spent 15 years. Directly comparable in focus on reformulation, the Nutrient Profiling Model, and evidence-informed food policy advocacy in the UK.
• Food Foundation: UK food policy think tank and OHA member co-convening the Recipe for Change campaign and Good Food Bill coalition. Directly comparable in target audience (policymakers and public) and advocacy focus on healthier food environments.
• Sustain: The Alliance for Better Food and Farming: UK food and farming advocacy coalition co-convening the Food Strategy Alliances and Good Food Bill with OHA, and home to the Children's Food Campaign (an OHA Steering Group member). Directly comparable as a multi-stakeholder coalition advocating for healthier, more sustainable UK food policy.
• World Cancer Research Fund: OHA member providing diet-cancer expertise and supporting evidence-based policy on HFSS marketing and reformulation. Closely comparable as a charity advocating diet-related disease prevention through structural policy.

Broad incumbents

• Diabetes UK: Current host of the OHA secretariat since 2019 and Steering Group member. Comparable as a major UK disease-focused charity engaging on obesity as a diabetes risk factor, though with a broader clinical and research remit.
• Cancer Research UK: Large UK cancer charity and OHA Steering Group member. Comparable as a high-credibility policy advocate on diet-related cancer prevention, though with a substantially broader research and clinical portfolio.
• British Heart Foundation: Major UK health charity and OHA Steering Group member with a much broader cardiovascular disease remit. Comparable in advocacy capacity and policy influence on diet-related health, but operates a much wider portfolio than the OHA's obesity focus.

Others

• Impact on Urban Health: Funder of the Commercial Baby Food Review partnership programme and adjacent UK health-focused philanthropic entity. Comparable as an ecosystem participant funding evidence-based obesity and food environment interventions rather than a direct advocacy peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/obesity-health-alliance
• Xx.com/OHA_updates

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Obesity Health Alliance