A combination of high-profile speakers, exciting topics, and national media attention contributed to one of the best-attended National Food Policy Conferences to date.
Consumer Federation of America held the 26th Annual National Food Policy Conference in Washington, DC May 8-9, 2003. More than 350 people attended the conference, a seventy-five percent increase over last year. An intense debate over America’s growing obesity epidemic kick-started the 2003 Conference with EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman, Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson, and Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Dr. Mark McClellan, among the noted speakers.
Sessions of interest included:
Designer Diets: Dr. John Milner (National Cancer Institute) and Sylvia Rowe, President & CEO of the International Food Information Council (IFIC) discussed the emerging concept of “individualized” nutrition. Milner presented the state of the science behind individualized nutrition and emphasized that “one size does not fit all” in terms of dietary recommendations; he urged health professionals to keep current on the science known as nutrigenomics. Rowe spoke about consumer perceptions and communication principles related to this emerging science. She noted that, according to IFIC’s attitudinal research, consumers are more receptive to the term “individualized” nutrition than to nutrigenomics, which some consider too technical and difficult to understand. Author Katherine Tallmadge, MA, RD also spoke about the application of the science for health professionals counseling individual patients.
Acrylamide: A panel of government, industry, academic, and consumer research experts updated attendees one year after Swedish scientists made global news by first discovering the compound acrylamide in starchy foods cooked at high temperatures. While there is consensus that the compound forms naturally as part of the cooking process and has probably been a component of foods for generations, the discovery of acrylamide set off a flurry of research in government, industry, and academic quarters to better understand its formation and whether levels could be reduced in foods. Dr. David Lineback, of the University of Maryland’s Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, moderated the panel and indicated that much more research needs to be conducted. He stated that U.S. and international authorities believe no dietary changes are needed at this time, while they continue to encourage consumption of a balanced diet with emphasis on fruits and vegetables. Consumer research presented by IFIC indicates most consumers are following that advice while “the jury is still out” on our understanding of acrylamide.
