Institute of Medicine

Food and Nutrition Board

Food Forum

Legal regulations and manufacturers' monitoring practices have not been enough to prevent contamination of the national food supply and protect consumers from serious harm. In addressing food safety risks, regulators could perhaps better ensure the quality and safety of food by monitoring food production not just at a single point in production but all along the way, from farm to table. Recognizing the troubled state of food safety, the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) Food Forum met in Washington, DC, on September 9, 2008, to explore the management of food safety practices from the beginning of the supply chain to the marketplace.

Workshop Summary

Managing Food Safety Practices from Farm to Table

The leading challenges in public health-ranging from rising obesity rates to the fast-growing population of older adults-are complex and cannot be solved effectively by any one silver bullet or any one sector in isolation. Instead, their solutions require collaborative actions of many sectors, including industry, government, academia, and nongovernmental organizations. To better understand how to build multisectoral food and nutrition partnerships that achieve meaningful public health results, the IOM's Food Forum held a workshop on November 1-2, 2011, in Washington, D.C. The workshop brought together stakeholders from various sectors to discuss the benefits and risks of pursuing cross-sector partnerships, foster communication between sectors, and explore opportunities of mutual interest in food and nutrition that are most conducive for partnerships. Participants also discussed the perspectives of the various sectors, key features of successful partnerships, and what needs to be done to facilitate partnership development. This report, Building Public-Private Partnerships in Food and Nutrition: Workshop Summary, summarizes the workshop.

Building Public-Private Partnerships in Food and Nutrition

The Food Forum convened a public workshop on February 22-23, 2012, to explore current and emerging knowledge of the human microbiome, its role in human health, its interaction with the diet, and the translation of new research findings into tools and products that improve the nutritional quality of the food supply. The Human Microbiome, Diet, and Health: Workshop Summary summarizes the presentations and discussions that took place during the workshop. Over the two day workshop, several themes covered included: The microbiome is integral to human physiology, health, and disease. The microbiome is arguably the most intimate connection that humans have with their external environment, mostly through diet. Given the emerging nature of research on the microbiome, some important methodology issues might still have to be resolved with respect to undersampling and a lack of causal and mechanistic studies. Dietary interventions intended to have an impact on host biology via their impact on the microbiome are being developed, and the market for these products is seeing tremendous success. However, the current regulatory framework poses challenges to industry interest and investment.

The Human Microbiome, Diet, and Health

On July 9-10, 2014, the Institute of Medicine's Food Forum hosted a public workshop to explore emerging and rapidly developing research on relationships among the brain, the digestive system, and eating behavior. Drawing on expertise from the fields of nutrition and food science, animal and human physiology and behavior, and psychology and psychiatry as well as related fields, the purpose of the workshop was to (1) review current knowledge on the relationship between the brain and eating behavior, explore the interaction between the brain and the digestive system, and consider what is known about the brain's role in eating patterns and consumer choice; (2) evaluate current methods used to determine the impact of food on brain activity and eating behavior; and (3) identify gaps in knowledge and articulate a theoretical framework for future research. Relationships among the Brain, the Digestive System, and Eating Behavior summarizes the presentations and discussion of the workshop.

Relationships Among the Brain, the Digestive System, and Eating Behavior

Does a longer life mean a healthier life? The number of adults over 65 in the United States is growing, but many may not be aware that they are at greater risk from foodborne diseases and their nutritional needs change as they age. The IOM's Food Forum held a workshop October 29-30, 2009, to discuss food safety and nutrition concerns for older adults.

Providing Healthy and Safe Foods As We Age

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Health and Medicine Division

In September 2016, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a workshop to examine trends and patterns in aging and factors related to healthy aging in the United States, with a focus on nutrition, and how nutrition can sustain and promote healthy aging, not just in late adulthood, but beginning in pregnancy and early childhood and extending throughout the lifespan. Participants discussed the role of nutrition in the aging process at various stages in life, changes in organ systems over the lifespan and changes that occur with age related to cognitive, brain, and mental health, and explored opportunities to move forward in promoting healthy aging in the United States. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

Food Forum

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