IAFNS - Advancing Food and Nutrition Sciences

IAFNS is active in advancing science and developing resources to address sodium in foods. Following a seven-part webinar series earlier this year, IAFNS convened an expert meeting that included key stakeholders along with our public and private sector members. This dialogue enabled discussions on the path forward to address sodium in the food supply. Recommendations on future strategies for reducing sodium content in foods, increasing potassium intake, and bolstering consumer acceptance of lower-sodium foods were recently published. In addition to an Op-Ed on IAFNS’ sodium efforts, IAFNS developed five infographics on sodium in foods. These infographics are fully downloadable from the IAFNS Resources page. IAFNS efforts come as the U.S. Food & Drug Administration issued new Draft Guidance for Industry: Voluntary Sodium Reduction Goals. These events and publications indicate how IAFNS’ Sodium in Food & Health Implications Committee works across sectors including academia, industry and government to enhance the development of informed strategies and resources for public health. Join us! https://lnkd.in/ez3Rgs3k

There is growing consumer interest in fermented foods and products like yogurt that contain beneficial live microbes, due to historical, associative, and some randomized clinical trial evidence suggesting that live microbes may confer a variety of health benefits. As the science evolves, confirming these health relationships – to allow for clearer messaging – will require a better understanding of live microbe consumption, including the source and quantities. To support this, IAFNS has collaborated with the USDA Global Branded Food Products Database (a component of FoodData Central) public-private partnership to enable manufacturers to add live microbe data to this public database. In this webinar, presenters will discuss the importance of beneficial live microbes in the food supply and explain how companies can include these data in their submissions. https://lnkd.in/gJzwXnjh

Reminder! The IAFNS Food & Chemical Safety Committee is accepting applications for the above project by Oct. 31, 2024. Mitigations for managing toxic elements (e.g., lead, arsenic and cadmium; sometimes termed heavy metals) are deployed throughout the agricultural and food supply chain to minimize their presence. This project will build upon recent work funded by IAFNS that identified a critical need for a deeper understanding of the interrelationships among soil characteristics, mitigation options and resulting levels of toxic elements in plants and commodities https://lnkd.in/eDpT5afk

Register Today! November 4 at 3pm ET! Join us! International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST) established a Task Force – “Food Processing for Nutrition, Diet and Health” – to address and clarify the role of food processing and the uses of terms such as ultra-processed foods (UPF) in food classification systems. The Task Force has produced a report with guidelines and recommendations to assist evaluation, selection, implementation, and reviews of global and national dietary guidance for food science and technology purposes. The report includes recommendations for the needs and understanding of food processing and formulation to nutrition, diets and public health across cultures and population groups. Join IAFNS as we host the Task Force Chair, Erich Windhab, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Health Sciences and Technology at ETH Zürich as he shares the Task Force’s recommendations and next steps on this initiative. https://lnkd.in/eQWKWXz6

Share your science! Submit your abstract TODAY! (And, save the date.) The IAFNS Science Innovation Showcase, an on-line/virtual event, will be held December 10 - 12, 2024. This science-first and science-focused event brings together scientists from multiple sectors, at all stages of their careers from graduate students to professors, technical experts to CEOs. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage in dialogue and discussion on the data, the technology and science being applied across the food and beverage ecosystem. All are invited to be part of our program. We are accepting abstracts! https://lnkd.in/esccYBgP

Sharing our Science! Advancing Public Health! IAFNS is attending the American Public Health Association 2024 Annual Meeting & Expo, showcasing new work on funded projects. Proud to share the work of our Cognitive Health Committee with NORC at the University of Chicago on “Aligning Consumer Perceptions with the Science: Can Brain Benefits that Consumers seek be Measured with Existing Cognitive Performance Tools?” We are also presenting on “Open Science Practices in Food and Nutrition Research: Advancing Transparency and Collaboration in the Field.” Join IAFNS as we drive, fund, and lead actionable science to support Public Health.

IAFNS will present at the American Public Health Association 2024 Annual Meeting & Expo, showcasing new work on funded projects. Will we see you there? Join us for discussions on: * Open Science Practices in Food and Nutrition Research: Advancing Transparency and Collaboration in the Field * Aligning Consumer Perceptions with the Science: Can Brain Benefits that Consumers seek be Measured with Existing Cognitive Performance Tools? At IAFNS, we drive, fund, and lead actionable science to support Public Health. https://lnkd.in/e9_zB3Ph

IAFNS is active in advancing science and developing resources to address sodium in foods. Recommendations on future strategies for reducing sodium content in foods, increasing potassium intake, and bolstering consumer acceptance of lower-sodium foods were recently published. IAFNS efforts come as the U.S. Food & Drug Administration issued new Draft Guidance for Industry: Voluntary Sodium Reduction Goals (Phase II). These events and publications indicate how IAFNS’ Sodium in Food & Health Implications Committee works across sectors including academia, industry and government to enhance the development of informed strategies and resources for public health. Join us! https://lnkd.in/evji3tku

Sharing our science! Advancing food and nutrition sciences! With lots of emphasis on #protein, learning more about the benefits (or lack there of) is important to supporting #publichealth. Excited to share this summary of some work by the Protein Committee at IAFNS. And, very appreciative of our collaborators and partners in leading this research. https://lnkd.in/g6PNqnrF

As a science-focused organization, IAFNS supports science and evidence-based decision-making across sectors. The impact of GLP-1 based medications can be understood with cross-disciplinary dialogue. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists were originally developed to control glucose levels in people with Type 2 diabetes but have more recently become popular as weight-loss medications. Their increasing usage has implications for nutrient adequacy, changes in food demand, team approaches to nutrition and medicine, and what will be needed to successfully treat growing numbers of long-term patients. The growing adoption of these medications is an opportunity to link food, nutrition and the medical community together to advance public health in unique ways. To help address this emerging topic, IAFNS hosted three webinars on aspects of GLP-1 medications featuring leading health experts, physicians and economic researchers. https://lnkd.in/eYyMaVjP