FNCE 2016
The Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE) is the largest nutrition conference of the year. This year FNCE 2016 was in Boston October 15-18. View the sessions from 2016 HERE and the exhibitors HERE. Mr. David Wiss attended this year, presenting his poster “Hands-on Nutrition and Culinary Intervention Within a Substance Use Disorder Residential Treatment Facility” with Kristie Moore MS RDN.
Nutrition in Recovery
David also attended FNCE 2016 to carry out an important mission spurred by Dietitians for Professional Integrity, which is to elevate the public perception of the dietitian credential by severing ties with problematic food companies. Mr. Wiss wrote an important guide for fellow attendees HERE.This document highlights five 2016 FNCE sessions with conflicts of interest that concern us, particularly in regards to speakers who have industry ties that directly relate to the topics they are speaking about.
The Aftermath
Mr. Wiss generated a report after the conference, stating: “We recommend a vetting process to ensure that the companies and trade groups at the expo hall are appropriate for a nutrition conference. Some may argue that the presence of purveyors of highly processed foods is necessary so dietitians can be aware of products our clients may come across. However, we can easily remain aware of that by visiting company websites or simply perusing the aisles of local grocery stores. At least that way we are not learning about a new product via a company rep that has been given talking points to specifically market the product.” Read the full recap HERE.
While at FNCE, Mr. David Wiss was interviewed by a member of the Associated Press who published an important article: Do Candy and Soda Makers Belong at a Dietitian Conference? Mr. Wiss states that conflict of interest has “been an important topic in the pharmaceutical world, and now it’s becoming a much more important topic in the nutrition world.” Other articles reporting on the conference discussed close ties between nutritionists and the food industry, and how many nutritionists want to sever those ties.
Final Thoughts
FNCE 2016 was a lot of fun! We networked, attended some great sessions, and continued to advocate for a future that is not riddled with industry influence. We are thrilled with the progress made in the last three years.
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.
David Wiss
David became a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) in 2013 and founded Nutrition in Recovery, a group practice of RDNs specializing in the treatment of eating and substance use disorders. In 2017, David received the “Excellence in Practice” award at the national Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo. The California Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics awarded him the “Emerging Dietetic Leader Award” in 2020. He earned his PhD from UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health in the Community Health Sciences department (with a minor in Health Psychology) by investigating the links between adverse childhood experiences and various mental health outcomes among socially disadvantaged men. His treatment philosophy is based on a biopsychosocial model which incorporates an understanding of biological mechanisms, psychological underpinnings, and contextual factors that integrate the social determinants of health. His website Wise Mind Nutrition offers a fully online interactive treatment program that will be available in the Summer of 2022.