Siega-Riz Appears on Future of Food Summit Panel

Anna Maria Siega-Riz, dean of the School of Public Health and Health Sciences, recently appeared on a panel titled “Innovations in Nutrition and Health” at the Future of Food Summit held in September in New York City.

Joining Siega-Riz on the panel were Rachel Sanders, CEO of Rootine Vitamins; Megan Meyer, director of science communication for the International Food Information Council Foundation; Allison Baker, director of nutrition for Kroger Health; and moderator and “EatingWell” magazine editor Lisa Valente. Together, they explored influences and trends on dietary and nutrition science and discussed how the upcoming 2020 release of the USDA’s new dietary guidelines for Americans will help drive food and nutrition policy. They also touched on promising emergent fields including personalized nutrition, microbiome research, and sugar replacement alternatives.

“I was grateful for the opportunity to participate in the panel, and to bring a more balanced perspective on what the science is and how it may or may not contribute to the formulation of nutrition policy,” says Siega-Riz, an expert on maternal and child nutrition who served on the 2015 federal advisory committee for the dietary guidelines. “I think innovation in food science is fascinating and improving our understanding of how what we eat influences our overall health and well-being is critical if we are to move forward as a country to resolve our current health problems and to create a sustainable food system.”

Sponsored by The International Food Information Council Foundation and “EatingWell” magazine, the Future of Food Summit brought together dozens of thought leaders, including academics, nutrition experts, trend forecasters, farmers, and food industry professionals, to talk about how our food system will evolve and transform in the years ahead. Participants tackled topics ranging from rethinking how consumers shop for their food and personalized nutrition to food systems and technology and how climate change is impacting agriculture, and examined how we might transform our food system for a better tomorrow.

Learn more about the Summit here or view the “Innovations in Nutrition & Health” panel here.