#UKMAW2025 - Save the Date

UK Malnutrition Awareness Week 2025

The MTF and BAPEN’s #UKMAW2025 will be held from 17 November to 23 November 2025

This year will see the eighth UK Malnutrition Awareness Week - #UKMAW2025.

You are invited to promote your activities and join the conversations on social media during #UKMAW2025. Please send your photos, blogs and anything that you would like to share to enquiries@malnutritiontaskforce.org.uk

UKMAW was co-founded in 2018 by the Malnutrition Task Force (MTF) and BAPEN to raise awareness and understand the risks of preventable malnutrition across different sectors and settings, in local communities and with the general public and health and social care professionals.

Each day during #UKMAW2025 will have a different theme:
Monday
Malnutrition Screening

Information shared around what malnutrition is, risk factors and prevalence.

Launch of our national malnutrition and nutritional care screening survey to help build a clearer picture of malnutrition risk across the UK – highlighting what is working well and where care can be improved

Tuesday
#ChallengesTuesday & Solutions

An interactive day for people to contribute to the campaign, sharing challenges they face in delivering good nutritional care and sharing examples of best practice/solutions.

Download your #ChallengesTuesday selfie card here

Wednesday
Hospital Discharge

Information shared on the importance of well-managed hospital discharge to ensure that people leaving hospital are equipped with individualised nutritional care plans where necessary.

Learning Event

Details of this year's Learning Event are here

Thursday
Thirsty Thursday

Nutrition and hydration are often linked, but hydration is often deprioritised. We will share information about the importance of hydration, best practice for improving intake of fluids, and how to address challenges such as dysphagia.

Friday
Every Contact Counts

Every hospital, community, or care setting interaction is an opportunity to identify risks from each and every person who interacts with someone – pharmacists, district nurses, AHPs, GPs, social care, dentists, doctors, and so on.

Multidisciplinary healthcare teams are encouraged to systematically screen for malnutrition and raise awareness of risk factors.

The Weekend
Highlights of the Week & Nutrition Superheroes

Highlights of the week shared, including key resources to continue the campaign momentum.

Nominate your #NutritionSuperhero by using the hashtag and sharing someone who goes above and beyond to support the delivery of good nutritional care.


Review and download the #UKMAW2025 Supporting Documents here...

Ask, Look, Listen

The campaign focus – Ask, Look, Listen – recognises that malnutrition is everyone’s business. It is easier to manage malnutrition or dehydration when it is spotted earlier, so we want everybody in health and care multidisciplinary teams to spread the importance of keeping nutritional care at the forefront of minds, and for people in the community to look out for family members, friends, neighbours, and colleagues.

So, what does ‘Ask, Look and Listen’ mean in practice?

  • Ask – If you know somebody who may be vulnerable because they have health problems, because they are older or perhaps because they are isolated, don’t be afraid to ask them if they are eating and drinking okay. Don’t be afraid to ask about somebody’s appetite or ability to prepare food and drink, it could make all the difference and help you stop malnutrition in its tracks.
  • Look – Always be on the lookout for tell-tale signs of unplanned weight loss such as looser clothing, loose belts or rings or dentures. And remember you won’t always see weight loss so keep your eyes open for other signs like empty fridges and cupboards, local shops that have closed, or reluctance to travel or leave home.
  • Listen – Listen carefully to what somebody is telling you about their life. It may not be about eating and drinking directly, but is it about feeling tired, feeling worried because they are unwell, feeling lonely, or losing interest in things that usually give them enjoyment? Practice active listening and think about how the way somebody is feeling generally may affect how they are able to look after themselves.