About
Most organisations have no idea whether people actually believe them. They measure…
Services
Articles by Mike
Activity
2K followers
-
Mike Coppen-Gardner shared thisLLM answers on UPF are built on Reddit, Instagram, and unregulated ingredient apps. Four purpose-built UPF classification websites and apps, most of which publish no methodology, name no authors, and offer no appeals process, were cited 881 times between them. That is more than the NHS. No manufacturer, retailer, or supermarket appeared anywhere in the most-cited sources. FoodNavigator, with 74 citations, was the only food industry publication in the top 25. SPQR is making the category-level source map available to food and drink businesses, trade bodies and retailers on request. Brand-level reads are available separately.Mike Coppen-Gardner shared thisFood companies are the subject of the UPF debate, but none of them appear in the 20 most-cited sources AI draws its information from. Cultural debate is moving faster than science. And in that vacuum, LLMs are increasingly the first place people go when they want to understand a particular topic. Those answers shape what people believe, and they're built on whatever sources the engines happen to trust. We wanted to know which sources. 70 prompts across 5 engines. Every citation logged across 1,693 answers. The results are stark. 1. The food industry is noticeably absent. Not one manufacturer, retailer or supermarket appears anywhere in the top 20. No brand-owned nutrition content either. Even trade publications such as FoodNavigator and The Grocer barely register. In a category defined by an accusation against food companies, food companies contribute roughly 1% of the evidence base. 2. Four independent UPF apps and classification sites collectively outrank the NHS. A second tier of purpose-built classification tools has acquired enormous influence over how AI answers questions about individual food products. Many have no visible methodology, editorial standards, or scientific appeals process, yet collectively they carry more weight in AI answers than the NHS. 3. Reddit is the second most-cited source on the topic. And it isn't an outlier. YouTube and Instagram also sit within the top seven sources. Peer discussion, creator content, and social media are part of the evidence base that AI engines use to answer UPF questions. We’ve spent months in rooms with brands in this category. Many have decided the safest move is to say nothing and let the trade association handle it. We understand why. But this is the wrong call in an LLM world. Relying on industry bodies to make the industry's case on the science might help shape the wider debate, but it won't help individual brands make their case to consumers. The window to influence policy is closing, and it's clear that silence is no longer the defensive position that it was perhaps 18 months ago. Is it time more brands put their heads above the parapet and take a more proactive role in the debate?
-
Mike Coppen-Gardner reposted thisMike Coppen-Gardner reposted thisLast week the ASA cleared junk food ads from Burger King, Domino's, KFC and Uber Eats. Campaigners called it proof the clampdown had failed. It was the opposite. The ads were cleared because the products had been reformulated so they no longer count as "less healthy", which is exactly what the rules were designed to make happen. Regulation set the incentive, industry responded, and the system held. Westminster is unlikely to read it that way. We have seen the pattern before. A cleared ruling becomes a loophole, a loophole becomes a consultation, and a consultation becomes a tax. The delivery economy, one of Britain's few homegrown digital growth stories, is next in line. In The Grocer, our founder and CEO Mike Coppen-Gardner argues that a government serious about obesity would harness that network rather than tax it, and treat it as a partner in the fight rather than the next convenient villain. Full piece below. https://lnkd.in/g_2j8S9s #FoodPolicy #PublicHealthThe junk food ‘clampdown’ isn’t failing, it’s workingThe junk food ‘clampdown’ isn’t failing, it’s working
-
Mike Coppen-Gardner reposted thisMike Coppen-Gardner reposted thisNew environmental standards need explaining before they need defending. Craig R., our Client Services Director, examines the cocoa sector's new deforestation standard and why the harder task starts now. The World Cocoa Foundation and the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT have published an Active Deforestation Risk Assessment Methodology for cocoa supply chains, developed with ten of the industry's largest players: Barry Callebaut, Cargill, Compañía Nacional de Chocolates, ECOM Agrotrade, Lindt & Sprüngli, Luker Chocolate, Mondelēz, Olam Food Ingredients, Sucden and The Hershey Company. The substance is real. But voluntary standards do not arrive in a neutral environment. They arrive in a courtroom where the prosecution has been running its case for years, and the first hostile framing is predictable: the companies who will be measured against this standard also wrote it. What matters is who defines the standard first. There is a short window between publication and the first sceptical write-up. Fill it and the sceptics must fight past an established understanding. Leave it empty and the critics' version becomes the default. With the EU Deforestation Regulation applying from 30 December 2026, the stakes reach well beyond cocoa. Palm oil, coffee, rubber, timber and soy face the same test. The evidence and the belief are separate projects. Only one is finished when the document is published.The cocoa industry has built a serious deforestation standard, but the harder task is getting anyone to believe itThe cocoa industry has built a serious deforestation standard, but the harder task is getting anyone to believe it
-
Mike Coppen-Gardner reposted thisMike Coppen-Gardner reposted thisEuropean defence spending jumped nearly 20% last year, and EU national budgets have climbed from €218bn in 2021 to an expected €381bn in 2025. Money on that scale brings scrutiny: audit offices, select committees and investigative reporters are all turning towards the sector at once. The problem is that defence has spent decades learning to speak quietly, to ministries and the trade press, and barely at all to the public. So a wide gap has opened between what these companies do and what people believe they do. UK defence employs 164,000 people, most of them engineers, technicians and apprentices. The public picture is assembled from war films. Where an industry doesn’t explain itself, someone else writes the explanation. And with support in the UK for higher defence spending falling to 37% once higher taxes are attached, that gap is now an operational risk, shaping recruitment, planning consent and the durability of the contracts themselves. Our latest piece makes the case for patient explanation, before the scrutiny arrives.If defence doesn't explain itself, someone else willIf defence doesn't explain itself, someone else will
-
Mike Coppen-Gardner reposted thisMike Coppen-Gardner reposted thisEuropean defence spending jumped nearly 20% last year, and EU national budgets have climbed from €218bn in 2021 to an expected €381bn in 2025. Money on that scale brings scrutiny: audit offices, select committees and investigative reporters are all turning towards the sector at once. The problem is that defence has spent decades learning to speak quietly, to ministries and the trade press, and barely at all to the public. So a wide gap has opened between what these companies do and what people believe they do. UK defence employs 164,000 people, most of them engineers, technicians and apprentices. The public picture is assembled from war films. Where an industry doesn’t explain itself, someone else writes the explanation. And with support in the UK for higher defence spending falling to 37% once higher taxes are attached, that gap is now an operational risk, shaping recruitment, planning consent and the durability of the contracts themselves. Our latest piece makes the case for patient explanation, before the scrutiny arrives. https://lnkd.in/eQzwUz58SPQR Articles & Blogs | If defence doesn't explain itself, someone else willSPQR Articles & Blogs | If defence doesn't explain itself, someone else will
-
Mike Coppen-Gardner shared thisI've just voted for Graham Pugh in the Copywriting category in @Creativepool #Annual2026. Vote for them too!! https://lnkd.in/ept7Skx6
-
Mike Coppen-Gardner shared thisWho would have thought it would ever get this far…?Mike Coppen-Gardner shared thisThe anti-tobacco playbook is being run against meat. Here is what the campaign looks like, why it is working, and what the food industry has not yet done about it. Our opinion is on The GrocerThe tobacco playbook is being run against meat. Is the industry ready?The tobacco playbook is being run against meat. Is the industry ready?
-
Mike Coppen-Gardner shared thisThe window is narrowing. The question for anyone inside the food industry is simpler than it looks: do you actually know where belief sits before you have to respond? I wrote about it for The Grocer.Could the meat industry be about to have its ‘tobacco moment’?Could the meat industry be about to have its ‘tobacco moment’?
-
Mike Coppen-Gardner shared thisWe are still #hiring! Know anyone who might be interested?
Mike Coppen-Gardner commented on a post
1w
Congratulations Terry. I continue to enjoy watching your great progress. Best wishes Mike
-
Mike Coppen-Gardner liked thisMike Coppen-Gardner liked thisI'm so excited to share that I'll be joining my brilliant colleague Ronah Pulle Founder of Cultra Collective as one of the speakers for "The Business of Access: Behind the Hire, on Tuesday 13th October in London! Massive credit to Ronah for leading this event and bringing women across media, marketing, PR, and the creative economy together for real, unfiltered conversations about career growth. If my journey from starting out in Sydney to living across Bucharest, Moscow, Milan, and now as Media Innovation Lead at Open X (WPP) in London has taught me anything, it’s this: the biggest leaps in your career happen when you embrace the unfamiliar, say yes to opportunity, and trust yourself to figure out the details as you go. Thriving in our industry isn't about having a rigid, perfect 10-year plan. It’s about building the confidence to lean into ambiguity, step into new environments, and back yourself when a new door opens. At this event, we’re taking the motto to heart "leave your job title at the door!" to talk candidly about: - Saying yes to new opportunities amp; navigating career pivots - What hiring managers are actually looking for behind closed doors - Curating a CV amp; portfolio that reflects your true potential - Building resilience and leading through change Whether you're early in your career, considering a pivot, or aiming for your next leadership step, I’d love to connect with you. Spaces for the VIP Workshop and Panel are limited - grab your ticket here: The Business Of Access: Behind The Hire · Luma Looking forward to an empowering evening! #WomenInMarketing #MediaInnovation #CreativeEconomy #BehindTheHire #CareerGrowth #OpenX #WPP #WomenInLeadership #Networking
-
Mike Coppen-Gardner liked thisMike Coppen-Gardner liked thisIm afraid it is now my turn for some announcements! Firstly, I am very pleased to say in July I graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a 2:1 in MA Business Management. My dissertation titled “Is the UK beer market sufficiently competitive?” was a personal highlight and spurred me on to pursue a career in the drinks industry. I also cannot thank enough Rachael Tring and Helen Ryall for providing roughly 20 bacon rolls and continuing support throughout my final year. Now onto the good part! I am beyond excited to announce that this week I joined Lonkero as a Sales Operations Assistant this week. It is such an exciting company to be a part and I cannot wait to give it my best and help them grow even more! I want to thank Nahum Wood for being an absolute superstar and helping me along the process as well as Paige Gibbons, Joe Harris and Regan Tong for welcoming me into their team.
-
Mike Coppen-Gardner liked thisMike Coppen-Gardner liked thisYesterday, I was invited to speak at KPMG's FY27 planning session - to a room of Partners and Directors leading change across complex organisations. I shared what our first year in business has taught us and the conviction we’ve developed through working on the ground with our clients: The future of Enterprise AI is Bespoke Intelligence Systems: Intelligence built around the business, sharpened over time and owned by the organisation itself. Of course, I introduced them to Jarvis - ApplyAI's own Intelligence System. I’m delighted to say Jarvis received a particularly warm response from our friends at KPMG! The conversation that followed covered token costs, AI economics and how to choose between AI, automation and code. ApplyAI and KPMG operate at very different scales, of course, but we’re exploring many of the same complex, challenging and exciting questions our clients are asking. A genuine meeting of minds and a brilliant opportunity to exchange perspectives with people helping complex organisations navigate profound change. Thank you to Dion Gittoes and KPMG for the invitation.
-
Mike Coppen-Gardner liked thisMike Coppen-Gardner liked thisI went to Washington today to testify in front of the USTR 301 hearing on Germany’s drug price policies. I ended my closing statement with a short German lesson for the committee. Consumer Choice Center
-
Mike Coppen-Gardner reacted on thisMike Coppen-Gardner reacted on thisOn Thursday afternoon I will say cheerio to Stopgap......... 🫣 After more than two decades in recruitment, I’ve decided it’s time for a new chapter — though I’m not yet sure what that chapter looks like! What I do know is that I’m ready for a little time to rest, reflect and explore new opportunities. I’m incredibly grateful to all the clients and candidates I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the years. THANK YOU for your trust, your business, your conversations and, most importantly, the relationships we’ve built. It’s really been a privilege to be part of so many people’s careers. A HUGE thank you too to Stopgap, and especially to Claire, who founded the company over 30 years ago. Claire founded a recruitment company that was less about the numbers and more about the people - the clients, the candidates and the colleagues. Thats what I have LOVED. Incredibly, I've been lucky to be part of its story for 21 of those years, and I’m proud of the contribution I’ve made. And to my flipping lovely colleagues, past and present — THANK YOU for the friendship, the support, the laughter, the grit and ALL the memories. You’ve made the last 21 years what they’ve been and I have without doubt made some lifelong friends. 😍 For now, I’m looking forward to a bit of breathing space, spending time with the people I love and seeing what comes next. ❤️
-
Mike Coppen-Gardner liked thisMike Coppen-Gardner liked thisSharing a new identity for ApplyAI this week feels like the right moment to reflect on the ten months that have brought us here. And boy, have we been busy! We’ve had the privilege of working with some brilliant teams in 8 different companies across a range of different sectors. We’ve been beavering away inside their organisations to work out how AI can transform the way they work. We’ve met some very open-minded, brilliant people that want to learn, change and apply AI to allow them and their teams to do what they do best: to think creatively, to solve business challenges and to work smarter. We’ve listened to over 800 employees talk about what they need and want from AI. We’ve built over 350 AI agents, systems and automations. We’ve helped define the proposition and purpose of AI for their senior leadership teams. And we’ve embedded bespoke intelligence systems that take advantage of their institutional knowledge and data for competitive advantage. It’s been a lot of hard work, a lot of fun, and an awful lot of late nights. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has put their trust in me and the ApplyAI team. I started ApplyAI with the promise of positive change, practically delivered. And we’re just getting started. Please get in touch if you want to ApplyAI. www.applyai.uk
-
Mike Coppen-Gardner liked thisMike Coppen-Gardner liked thisCPOPC convenes stakeholders to discuss the future of the palm oil sector CPOPC convened a Focus Group Discussion on “The Future of the Palm Oil Sector: Building Resilience, Competitiveness, and Sustainable Growth” on 1 September 2026 in Putrajaya, Malaysia. The meeting brought together representatives of government, industry, statutory bodies and associations to exchange views on key developments affecting the palm oil sector and their implications for producing countries. Discussions addressed two strategic dimensions: external factors, including market fragmentation, trade barriers, market access, certification and traceability; and internal factors, including productivity, smallholder replanting, financing and the expanding role of palm-based renewable energy. Participants highlighted the importance of strengthening the resilience and competitiveness of the palm oil sector amid evolving global market conditions, while ensuring that its continued development contributes to economic growth, energy security and the livelihoods of millions who depend on the commodity. The outcomes of the discussion will contribute to CPOPC’s policy and programme development and support closer alignment with the priorities of its Member Countries and stakeholders. CPOPC remains committed to advancing dialogue and cooperation among palm oil producing countries and stakeholders towards a resilient, competitive and sustainable palm oil sector. Izzana Salleh Musdhalifah Machmud Chandran Gunalan Kementerian Koordinator Bidang Perekonomian Republik Indonesia Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) SD Guthrie Berhad Malaysian Biodiesel Association (MBA) Badan Pengelola Dana Perkebunan #PalmOilProducingCountries #Smallholders #FoodSecurity #EnergySecurity #Malaysia
Experience & Education
Other similar profiles
Explore collaborative articles
We’re unlocking community knowledge in a new way. Experts add insights directly into each article, started with the help of AI.
Explore More