31 August 2023

EIT Food Announces Sponsorship of Year-long Online Course on Nutrition for Health and Sustainability

EIT Food, a leading European initiative that focuses on innovating the food system, has unveiled its latest endeavour to promote health and sustainability. The organisation is set to sponsor a comprehensive online course titled “Nutrition for Health and Sustainability,” which will be available for an entire year starting from September 4th.

In a world where the significance of nutrition is becoming increasingly apparent, EIT Food’s initiative comes as a timely and impactful contribution. The free online course is tailored to equip participants with essential insights into crafting a nutritious diet, thereby empowering them to safeguard against diseases and enhance overall well-being. By exploring the intricate relationship between food, nutrition, diets, and sustainability, participants will gain the tools to assess human health across various life stages more effectively.

The course, aptly named “Nutrition for Health and Sustainability,” comprises three modules of comprehensive learning, spread over a total of 12 hours. These modules will delve into the core aspects of nutrition, enlightening participants on the components of a wholesome diet and highlighting the pivotal role played by specific foods in maintaining health and preventing diseases.

One of the distinctive features of this program is its emphasis on the interplay between nutrition and sustainability. As the world grapples with ecological challenges, understanding how dietary choices impact both personal health and the environment is of paramount importance. EIT Food’s course bridges this gap by fostering awareness of the broader implications of our food choices.

Upon successful completion of the course, participants will receive a coveted Learning Certificate, a testament to their dedication to staying abreast of the latest advancements and best practices in the dynamic agrifood sector. This certificate not only showcases their commitment but also underscores their role as informed contributors to a sustainable food future.

As the curtains rise on this transformative course, EIT Food stands at the forefront of championing a healthier and more sustainable world through knowledge, awareness, and education.

Additional information can be located in the document below.

Nutrition-for-health-and-sustainability-an-EIT-Food-online-course Download

Pause briefly to explore the course through its trailer.

Don’t miss out on this excellent opportunity – register through the link below.

Course Registration

4 August 2023

INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON DIETARY PROTEIN FOR HUMAN HEALTH

International Symposium on Dietary Protein for Human Health to Convene in Utrecht, The Netherlands

Utrecht, The Netherlands – Registration and Abstract Submission Now Open for the Symposium Scheduled for 14 – 16 September 2023

Scientists, researchers, and experts in the field of nutrition are invited to attend the highly anticipated International Symposium: Dietary Protein for Human Health in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Co-organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), two prominent universities, and in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the three-day event aims to shed light on the vital role of protein in human nutrition, health, and overall well-being.

The Symposium will encompass a diverse range of topics, including protein nutrition and its implications for health, amino acid requirements, digestibility, and availability. Distinguished researchers from around the world will deliver presentations and engage in discussions on dietary protein quality, assessing its influence on growth, development, and whole-body protein metabolism. Additionally, the event will explore the future sustainability of protein sources and their impact on global food security.

Building upon the success of the previous summit held in Auckland, New Zealand in 2011, this Symposium promises to be a landmark event, attracting international leaders in protein nutrition and related fields. It will serve as an authoritative platform, providing an update on the latest scientific advancements that hold critical importance for human welfare and sustainable food practices.

Prospective attendees are encouraged to register for the Symposium and submit their abstracts to share their groundbreaking research and insights with the global scientific community. The event offers a unique opportunity for networking, collaboration, and gaining knowledge from leading experts in the field.

Don’t miss this chance to contribute to the advancement of dietary protein research and its impact on human health and food security. Secure your place at the International Symposium: Dietary Protein for Human Health and join the quest for a healthier and sustainable future

For registration and abstract submission, please visit the official Symposium website.

30 July 2023

Giract European PhD in Flavor Research Awards – 14th Edition

Applications deadline: 31st October 2023
Promoting Flavor Research amongst PhD Students in Europe

Giract is proud to announce that, following the success of its unique and innovative programme to promote flavor research amongst PhD students in Europe across various universities and institutes, 9 industry sponsors will continue to support the programme, now in its 14th year. This consortium aims to raise awareness of the industry and career opportunities in order to increase the flavor research talent pool in Europe. The 8 sponsoring companies are:

AJINOMOTO
ANGEL YEAST
DSM-FIRMENICH
GIVAUDAN
KERRY
LALLEMAND BIO-INGREDIENTS
LESAFFRE INTERNATIONAL
PEPSICO

This 14th edition is organised by Giract, in coordination with Andrea Cattaruzza, Director of AndCat Ltd and Professor Emeritus Andy Taylor of the University of Nottingham, UK.

Purpose

To promote innovative flavor research amongst PhD students across European universities and research institutes. PhD students enrolled in universities and research institutes in 35 European countries (European Union, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and UK) are eligible to apply.

The project targets two different groups of PhD students:

Group 1: students who are about to complete their PhD.
Group 2: students who are about to commence their PhD studies and hence will soon be examining opportunities for employment.

This is translated into the following sub-objectives:
Publicise the attractions of flavor research so as to pull high calibre students into appropriate PhD courses and then into industry.

For Group 1:

Award bursaries to 6 selected students who are planning to commence their PhD studies in flavor science during the 2023/2024 academic year.
Enable the 6 winning 1st year PhD students the opportunity of visiting the laboratory of certain sponsor companies during the second year of their PhD studies, by using a part of their winning bursary amount for their travel and stay. This will enable them to obtain a first-hand view of an industry R&D centre
Application deadline is on October 31, 2023.

For Group 2:

Solicit and evaluate innovative flavor research projects amongst these students.
Provide the Annual Savory Flavor & Food Industry Conference, held in Geneva in the spring of each year, as a platform for the winning student to present his/her work to ‘potential employers’.

For more information and application forms please visit: https://giract.com/flavor-research-programme.php

17 May 2023

A new survey by British Nutrition Foundation about healthy ultra-processed foods

A recent survey by the British Nutrition Foundation reveals an increasing concern about ultra-processed foods. However, the survey also highlights that certain ultra-processed foods can be part of a balanced diet and offer convenience to busy individuals. The term “ultra-processed foods” refers to industrially processed foods containing additives. While sugary drinks, pastries, and takeaway items fall into this category, foods like wholemeal bread, breakfast cereals, baked beans, pasta sauces, and fruit yogurts are also classified as ultra-processed. These foods provide essential nutrients and can be an affordable and quick option for a balanced meal. The survey shows that people often associate ready meals, vegetarian meat alternatives, and packaged breakfast cereals with ultra-processed foods. However, fewer respondents classified items like baked beans, low-fat fruit yogurts, ice cream, and sliced bread as ultra-processed. The survey suggests that while cooking from scratch is ideal, incorporating healthier processed foods can make healthy eating more accessible and convenient. The study emphasizes the need to make healthy eating affordable and easier for everyone.

There is a published paper in Nutrition Bulletin, entitled How do we differentiate not demonise – Is there a role for healthier processed foods in an age of food insecurity? Proceedings of a roundtable event.

This is accompanied by an editorial by Professor Ciaran Forde Processing the evidence to evaluate mechanisms, costs and future solutions.

In addition, the British Nutrition Foundation published its Position statement on the concept of UPF on its website, along with an accompanying press release.

29 March 2023

FENS issues guidance for writing and reviewing press releases

The Federation of European Nutrition Societies (FENS) has issued guidance for writing and reviewing press releases. It is now available and an article about the guidelines has been published in the European Journal of Nutrition.

Having identified issues with the credibility and capability of human nutrition research, the FENS President is currently sponsoring an activity aimed at improving standards and assuring trust in the science of nutrition. This activity involves three working groups looking into concepts and methodologies; organisation, capabilities and funding; and external communication and public trust. Working Group 3, which is composed of 20 nutrition scientists from across Europe, has been charged with developing guidance to assure and promote stakeholder trust in nutrition science. The apparent lack of a standardised approach to disseminating nutrition research findings to key stakeholders such as clinicians and the general public has potentially contributed to a feeling of confusion and mistrust, thereby undermining the credibility of the science of nutrition. The Working Group identified a need to develop guidance for the communication of the findings of research in nutrition science to the public with a focus on accuracy of what is reported and on the language used.

The Working Group developed a handbook to support and guide nutrition scientists in improving the quality and clarity of press releases related to their work by detailing step-by-step guidance for writing and reviewing press releases.

There are also easy-to-use checklists for writing and reviewing a press release and a template for scoring a press release.

The handbook is free and available to download from the FENS website.

The FENS Working Groups will be holding symposia on this research during the 14th European Nutrition Conference in Belgrade, Serbia from 14 – 17 November 2023. Abstract submission is still open until 30 April 2023. Visit fens2023.org to submit an abstract or to register for the conference.

9 November 2022

Nutrition at the 27th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP27)

The UN-Nutrition has announced the holding of 27th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP27)in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt from 6 to 18 November.

More than 45,000 persons representing Parties, UN and regional organisations, companies, civil society, the scientific community, indigenous and local communities enrolled to enhance and accelerate climate action and follow through on collective commitments and pledges.

Food systems are on the COP27 agenda this year like never before. UN-Nutrition, the United Nations coordinating mechanism for nutrition, will continue to actively engage in raising awareness about the interconnections between diets, food systems, and climate change, as well as emphasising the importance of addressing nutritional and environmental challenges through collaborative policy options that generate co-benefits for people and the planet. UN agencies play an important role in assisting international, national, and subnational policymakers in developing evidence-based policies and programmes that benefit nutrition and the environment. At COP27, UN-Nutrition will advocate for the inclusion of healthy diets derived from sustainable food systems and improved nutrition in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) (NAPs).

The following are some of the events that will be held that are related to nutrition:

Today, 8 November (18:00 EET, Climate Action Hub), the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement in partnership with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Global Environment Facility (GEF) will host the Nutrition and Climate Financing: How to Walk the Talkside event. Nancy Aburto, Deputy Director of the Food and Nutrition Division at FAO will speak in the event.
On Friday, 11 November (13:15 – 14:45 EET, Khufu room, Blue Zone) UN-Nutrition member UN Environment, supported by the Secretariat, is teaming up with Costa Rica, Switzerland, Chatham House, The Natural Step Israel, Life and Environment (L&E), and United Cities and Local Governments UCLG/ICLEI, for the event titledEnsuring healthy diets for all in face of a Warming Planet: Challenges, Opportunities, and Solutions” Enhancing knowledge, inclusion & enablers for action. The session will also pre-launch and present the key finding of the forthcoming UN-Nutrition discussion paper “Environmental and nutrition interlinkages and the triple planetary crisis”. Watch the event live on YouTube.
Saturday, 12 November will be the Adaptation and Agriculture Day (learn more about the thematic days here) and will provide the opportunity to discuss issues such as food security and nutrition, food systems transformation, food crises etc. Several interesting discussions will take place throughout the day, including the following:
- Climate-smart initiatives in small-scale aquatic food systems for sustainable healthy diets (13:00-14:00 EET, Food and Agriculture Pavilion). The UN-Nutrition Executive Secretary will moderate this event which builds on the findings of the UN-Nutrition discussion paper The Role of Aquatic Foods in Sustainable Healthy Diets.
- Integrating nutrition and food security in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) (14:00-15:15 EET, Health Pavilion). Organized by UN-Nutrition, the UN University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) and others, this side event intends to raise awareness of the links between climate change, health and nutrition. It will discuss concrete solutions that target both climate change adaptation and mitigation, with a particular focus on integrating nutrition and food security in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). If you are not attending COP27 in person, you can watch the event live at https://bit.ly/3NwhZeQ. F lyer.
- Official launch of the Nutrition and Climate Change Initiative Official Launch (I-CAN)(14:00-16:00 EET, Presidency room 20).
- Quality, not just quantity: Addressing “hidden hunger” on a warming planet (16:00-17:00 EET, Business Pavilion, Auditorium A). The UN-Nutrition Executive Secretary will participate in the panel and discuss the need to transform food systems to address malnutrition in all its forms.
On Monday 14 November (11:30-12:30 EET, Food and Agriculture Pavilion), the Gender, Climate and Nutrition Integration Initiative (GCAN) and CGIAR will host the event Measuring progress on adaptation and mitigation of women in agriculture: What does it take? The UN-Nutrition Executive Secretary will participate in the panel discussion.
On Thursday 17 November (08:30-09:30 EET, Food and Agriculture Pavilion), FAO and partners will highlight innovative tools and mechanisms to bring the ambition of nutrition-sensitive, climate-smart agrifood systems to action in the event titled Nutrition-sensitive and climate-smart agrifood systems: Tools and options to move to implementation.

For the first time in the history of the UN Conference of Parties, COP27 will have a pavilion dedicated to food and agriculture. Organized by FAO, CGIAR and The Rockefeller Foundation, the Food and Agriculture Pavilion will host a rich program of events that will show how agrifood systems are part of the solution to the climate crisis, bringing together government and community leaders, farmers, academics and other experts who are taking decisions on innovative solutions to help countries take effective climate action.

Check out the Food and Agriculture Pavilion program here: https://cop27foodpavilion.cgiar.org/

Small-scale farmers produce up to 80 per cent of the food in developing countries but receive less than 1.7 per cent of climate finance. Also this year, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) will be at COP27 to amplify the voices of small-scale producers and promote their role in climate change responses and resilient food systems.

Check out the IFAD Pavilion program here: https://www.ifad.org/en/web/events/cop27

Climate change is already affecting people’s health and will continue to do so at an accelerating rate unless urgent action is taken. The World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with the Wellcome Trust and partners will host the Health Pavilion that will convene the global health community and its partners to ensure health and equity are placed at the center of the climate negotiations.

Check out the Health Pavilion program here: https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2022/11/06/default-calendar/cop27-health-pavilion

Check out the list of COP27 official side events and exhibits at: https://seors.unfccc.int/applications/seors/reports/events_list.html?session_id=COP%2027

1 November 2022

The International Science Council has announced that Dr Salvatore Aricò will take on the role of CEO

IUNS, as an ISC member, is pleased to share their announcement of the appointment of Dr Salvatore Aricò as Chief Executive Officer of The International Science Council. Dr Aricò will take over as CEO in January 2023, succeeding Dr Heide Hackmann.

Salvatore brings 30 years of international scientific experience, including as Head of Ocean Science at the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC-UNESCO), Executive Secretary of the United Nations Secretary-Scientific General’s Advisory Board, Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the United Nations University, and Chief of Programme at the Convention on Biological Diversity.

8 April 2022

Establishing a Federation of Oceanic Nutrition Societies (FONS)

FONS was approved by the IUNS General Assembly in 2013 in Granada at their annual general meeting. Initial progress to establish a FONS was slow, but networks created between nutrition professionals through the Oceanic Nutrition Leadership platform (ONLP) have enabled its progress.

On March 9th, a virtual half-day workshop was held to brainstorm the viability of establishing a FONS affiliated with IUNS. The workshop and preceding stakeholder engagement activity were funded by IUNS, the Australian Nutrition Trust Fund (ANTF), and the Nutrition Society of Australia (NSA). The workshop brought together 20 stakeholders from eight countries across the Pacific Islands, Australia, and New Zealand, to discuss this important initiative for the Oceanic region. There was overwhelming enthusiasm and agreement that FONS can make a difference for the region. Workshop participants were able to formulate a purpose (see word cloud), identify success indicators, define operating principles and guiding values, and identify the next steps for establishing a FONS. The aim is to launch FONS at the 2022 IUNS-ICN conference in Tokyo, Japan.

Thank you to the core group driving this initiative, including Dr Welma Stonehouse, Elisiva Na’ati, Mafi Funaki-Tahifote, Prof Pam von Hurst, Dr Tracy McCaffrey, Prof Alison Coates, collectively representing the Australian Academy of Science National Committee for Nutrition (AAS NCN), Nutrition Society of Australia (NSA), Nutrition Society of New Zealand (NSNZ), The Pacific Community (SPC) and the Oceanic Nutrition Leadership Platform (ONLP). A great thank you to Yda Gray, PiqueGlobal, who facilitated the workshop. Welcome to the new members who have recently joined the core group including Dr Sarah Burkhart, Dr Mary-Ann Carter, Solene Bertrand, and Soana Muimuiheata.

News – International Union of Nutritional Sciences

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