The food environment or the ‘foodscape’ has changed rapidly in the UK, and globally, over the last twenty years. Alongside this change has been an exponential increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity. This has stimulated research across the world to explain the relationship between aspects of food retailing, diet and health.In relation to obesity, environmental factors influence both sides of the energy balance equation; energy intake, in terms of the food environment and eating behaviours, and energy expenditure, describing physical activity and the environment. In terms of disease prevention and the promotion of health it is important to establish which aspects of the food and physical activity environments are amenable to change.Research is increasingly focusing the interaction between nutrition behaviour and the environment. However this relationship between food choice, dietary habits and the environment is complex. Previous work has tended to focus on food availability in the environment either in terms of the spatial distribution of food shops in relation to the socio-economic status of communities or looking at neighbourhood food availability and individual level food intake. There is a need to understand the mechanisms by which the environment influences individual food choice and dietary intake as well as exploring what factors within the environment are amenable to change.