International Food Information Council

Breaking: The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s final scientific report has drawn attention for its lack of clear recommendations on ultra-processed foods, leaving some in the industry questioning its impact. However, the report also makes strides by incorporating race, culture and socioeconomic status into future nutrition guidelines, focusing on health equity. Thank you to Sarah Gallo, Marion Nestle Lisa R. Young, PhD, RDN and Kris Sollid, RD for your thoughtful insights. If you need a refresh, you'll also find links to past DGAC coverage in the story below. #dietaryguidelines #ultraprocessedfoods #processedfoods #nutrition #healthequity

⭐ Happening this week! Please join us on December 12, 2024, at 2 PM ET for a free, 60-minute webinar featuring IFIC food labeling insights, including results from IFIC’s 2024 Front-of-Package (FOP) Nutrition Labeling consumer research. ⭐ IFIC’s Senior Director of Research & Consumer Insights, Kris Sollid, RDN, and IFIC President and CEO, Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN, will discuss the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s proposal to develop standardized nutrition labeling for the front of food packaging, consumer responses to FOP labels being considered by FDA, and the importance of improving nutrition communications to encourage healthy food choices. ⭐ Register today! https://bit.ly/487ILo1

🤓 Front-of-Package (FOP) labeling front of mind? With a much-anticipated proposed rule on FOP nutrition labeling expected from FDA soon, join us next week for a free IFIC Expert Webinar examining Front-of-Package (FOP) Labeling Research & Consumer Insights. 📅 Dec 12th, 2024 🕑 2PM ET ✔️ 1 Free CPEU for RDNs and DTRs “Americans are food curious and time-crunched, making it difficult to quickly convey accurate and complex information about food. As the American food consumer evolves, so must on-and off-label nutrition communications. FDA and IFIC efforts, among others, are critical to improve consumer use and understanding of Front-of-Pack nutrition labeling concepts,” said Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN, President & CEO of the International Food Information Council (IFIC).   Register here: https://bit.ly/4getV20 Read the press release here: https://bit.ly/4f13hZi

"It is well known that babies are born with a natural taste preference for sweetness, which is thought to increase acceptance of their mother’s milk. Still, as we move on in years, it’s not so sweet to consume too much added sugar. With intake well exceeding recommended limits in the US, low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) offer a promising alternative, allowing consumers to satisfy their innate preference for sweetness without contributing to the rising risk of obesity and metabolic diseases. Enter complication and controversy. The mere mention of LNCS has long been rife for polarization with some touting their safety and effectiveness and others claiming the opposite. This dichotomy is perfectly represented in our IFIC Spotlight Survey: American Perceptions of Sweeteners in Foods & Beverages." Read IFIC President & CEO Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN's thoughts on navigating consumer perceptions around LNCS: https://bit.ly/3ZpffaQ #ConsumerInsights #IFIC #ThoughtLeadership

☺️ Thanks again to everyone who gathered in Washington, D.C. for the International Food Information Council Annual Meeting last week. It was great seeing all your faces, and hearing your voices engage in meaningful dialogue. Together, we explored innovative science communication strategies that empower consumers to better understand their food and beverages—ultimately supporting actions that will lead to positive health outcomes. Here’s to collaboration, progress, and meaningful impact! ✨ #ScienceCommunication #IFIC #FoodSystems #Thankful

Lots of great discussion (and healthy discourse!) during our Annual Meeting this week in Washington, D.C. Thanks to everyone for sharing your insights as we work to advance the food systems dialogue.

🌟 Happening TOMORROW! Mark your calendars for a free 60-minute IFIC Expert Webinar that dives deep into the world of dietary sweeteners! 🌟 👉 Join us for exclusive insights from the November IFIC Spotlight Survey, including what consumers really think about sweeteners and their consumption habits in today’s food landscape, plus a featured presentation by renowned food scientist Roger Clemens, DrPh, from the Mann School of Pharmacy at USC. 📅 Nov 14, 2024 🕑 2PM ET Register here: https://bit.ly/3Y4CuoO

"We hit this wall of [sugar] reduction...in terms of what we are achieving in the consumption of sugar," Kris Sollid, RD, told FoodNavigator. "The average American is still not meeting that recommendation for less than 10% of calories from added sugar. And one of the conundrums that we see is that with low- or no-calorie sweeteners being a tool...to help people offset their preference for sweet tastes with the amount of added sugar they consume, we continue to see a preference for the caloric sweeteners," Sollid explained. Read the full article focused on the latest IFIC Spotlight Survey: https://lnkd.in/e3VkQ-4h #Sweeteners #Sugar #IFIC #ConsumerInsights

📣 NEW! IFIC Spotlight Survey: American Perceptions Of Sweeteners In Food & Beverages As global health authorities have offered conflicting guidance on low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) in recent years, a new IFIC survey explores evolving American attitudes when it comes to caloric and non-calorie sweeteners, sugar alcohols, and rare sugars such as allulose. “This IFIC Spotlight Survey is unique as it serves to follow up on surveys we previously conducted in 2023 and 2021,” explains IFIC President & CEO Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN. “Since we last surveyed Americans on sweeteners in April 2023, there have been significant updates to low- and no-calorie sweetener dietary guidance outside the U.S., potentially impacting American consumer attitudes and preferences.” In May and July 2023, scientific evaluations of low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) from three bodies within the World Health Organization (WHO) were released by the Nutrition Guidance Expert Advisory Group, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and the WHO/FAO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives.  “These reports received global media attention for their conflicting results and ensuing mixed messages,” Reinhardt Kapsak said. “Not only did we want to deepen our insights with this recent survey, but we wanted to see if these European evaluations moved the needle on American perceptions and behaviors, and if so, how.”  See the research findings here: https://bit.ly/40re7nY See the press release here: https://bit.ly/40xk0zT #ConsumerInsights #Research #IFIC #Sweeteners

🛫 I’m excited to attend my first ObesityWeek® next week! Any recommendations for a newbie? Obesity Action Coalition The Obesity Society 🙌 If you plan to be in San Antonio, hit he me up. I’d love to connect!