On October 19th, The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics held their annual Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE) in Houston, Texas. The FNCE is the leading event for all food and nutrition professionals, and offers the most up to date nutritional information and trends. Featuring over 350 exhibits from corporations, government and non-profit organizations highlighting new products and nutrition education materials, the FNCE attracts over 8,000 registered dietitians, nutrition science researcher, policy makers, health-care providers and industry leaders each year.
Throughout the four day conference, the Academy offers educational workshops and excursions, which aim to provide a space for continued learning and open discussion. Such educational sessions included a presentation on sodium, “Can We Really Get the Salt Out?” a presentation on school lunch, “What is Served and What is Wasted?” and a presentation on sustainable nutrition, “Will We Be Able to Feed the World in 2050?” while one of the excursions was focused on food distribution and nutrition education at Food Banks.
Opening remarks were given by Academy President, Dr. Gienna McCollum, MPH, RDN. Dr. McCollum focused her remarks on moving the field of nutrition forward by following her original acronym, “CLIMB.” Through this acronym, Dr. McCollum encouraged professionals to Collaborate with strategic partners, develop Leaders at every level, accept Innovation and change with open arms, Mentor other professionals to strengthen the field of Nutrition as a whole, and demonstrate that members of the Academy can lead and maintain a Balanced life. Dr. McCollum said, “Call it purposeful living… serving the common good… or striving to attain a personal or professional mission…together and individually we can ‘CLIMB’ to greater heights.”
As the world’s largest organization of food and nutritional professionals, The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics embraces their mission to empower members to be the nation’s food and nutrition leaders. Their goal is to improve the nation’s health and advance the profession of dietetics through research, education and health promotion. The Academy implemented the Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo in hopes of taking steps toward fulfilling their mission and achieving this goal. The 2014 Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo will take place in Atlanta, Georgia, and The Academy hopes to see you there!
