The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ 2016 conference (Food and Nutrition Conference & Expo, more commonly referred to as “FNCE”) took place earlier this month.
Dietitians For Professional Integrity core group member David A. Wiss attended, and we share his event recap today.
Highlights:
- “Should industry be given a platform to offer Continuing Professional Education (CPE) units to dietitians? After all, these sessions present conflicts of interest and blur the lines between objective information and marketing.”
- “At the conference’s registration desk, I expected to receive the standard thick program binder and tote bag with sponsor logos. I was pleasantly surprised when that was not the case- another sign of progress!”
- “The expo floor had improved somewhat from years past. McDonald’s and Coca-Cola were not present, there were no soda machines in sight, and it was encouraging to see booths for councils that promoted healthful foods (i.e.: lentils, raspberries, blueberries, tree nuts). Nevertheless, The Corn Refiners Association, National Confectioners Association (candy lobby), and the Sugar Association all had booths at the conference. This is problematic since these trade groups not only promote sugar and candy, but also extensively lobby against public health efforts.”
- “It is encouraging to see incremental changes at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics annual conference. We have also identified the following areas for improvement:1) Discontinue CPEs for industry-sponsored educational sessions;
2) Implement a vetting process for expo hall exhibitors that examines companies not just by the products they sell, but also by their political actions (i.e.: what do they lobby for/against?);
3) Acknowledge well-researched and thoroughly documented issues surrounding bias and influence so we can address them cohesively as a profession.”
We’ll share additional media coverage of FNCE tomorrow…
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