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Future of Food

In 2012, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation (Foundation), Feeding America (FA), and National Dairy Council (NDC) came together to address a public health challenge – raising awareness of food insecurity as a public health issue and increasing access to adequate amounts of nutrient dense food for all Americans – and launched the Future of Food initiative (FOF).

Over the first three years of this initiative, this partnership resulted in many successes, including the development of a Food Insecurity/Food Banking dietetic internship concentration, scientific symposia, presentations at national and state professional conferences, toolkits, infographics, and mini-grants to hundreds of Academy members to facilitate community awareness and action.

Additionally, in the October 2018, the Foundation, in collaboration with Nutrition and Dietetic Educators and Preceptors (NDEP) and the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND), released the Sustainable, Resilient, and Healthy Food and Water Systems (SFS) dietetic internship concentration.

With this exciting momentum from demonstrated collaborative successes, the Foundation launched the next phase of the Future of Food initiative in 2018. This phase is focused on advancing the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ (Academy) new strategic direction for its next century, particularly as it relates to the focus area of Food and Nutrition Safety and Security within the strategic plan, and positioning the Academy and its members to address the issues of global food security, hunger, and malnutrition.

This program of work was led by the Foundation’s Healthy and Sustainable Food Systems fellow. The fellowship, available through an educational grant to the Foundation by NDC, included:

  • Planning and convening a Heathy and Sustainable Food Systems roundtable (November 2018) as well as co-authoring a proceedings paper from the discussion
  • Promoting the SFS dietetic internship curriculum and designing and implementing a variety of enhanced SFS curriculum experiences
  • Facilitating a variety of additional Future of Food (FOF) projects

References

Cultivating Sustainable Food Systems

A Nutrition-Focused Framework for Action

This framework for action, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in 2020, was developed during a roundtable meeting of thought leaders led by the Academy Foundation’s Healthy and Sustainable Food Systems Fellow. The framework describes five “entry points” through which RDNs and NDTRs can leverage their unique skillset to cultivate sustainable food systems. The framework also describes the importance of coordination between the cross-cutting areas of education and training, research, practice, and policy to grow the profession’s impact in this area. Read the full framework for action.

The roundtable and associated travel costs were funded through an educational grant to the Academy Foundation from National Dairy Council.

Sustainable, resilient and healthy food and water systems

Play Video

A Nutrition-Focused Framework for Action

This framework for action, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in 2020, was developed during a roundtable meeting of thought leaders led by the Academy Foundation’s Healthy and Sustainable Food Systems Fellow. The framework describes five “entry points” through which RDNs and NDTRs can leverage their unique skillset to cultivate sustainable food systems. The framework also describes the importance of coordination between the cross-cutting areas of education and training, research, practice, and policy to grow the profession’s impact in this area. Read the full framework for action.

The roundtable and associated travel costs were funded through an educational grant to the Academy Foundation from National Dairy Council.

Related Resources

In collaboration with Feeding America, the Academy Foundation is performing an evaluation of Feeding America’s Healthy Cities project funded by Morgan Stanley. Healthy Cities is an integrative nutrition and health model with Feeding America food banks serving as the “hub” for providing food distributions, nutrition education, health screenings, and safe places to play in the communities they serve.

Feeding America Healthy Cities Pilot Program Results Webinar

Learn about the three Feeding America food banks and the new community partnerships they formed. Review the assessment process, outcomes, and recommendations for food banks wishing to successfully create similar partnerships.

  • Webinar
  • View slides from the Healthy Cities webinar
  • Read the final report and results for the project pilot

Feeding America Healthy Cities Phase II Year One Results

In this webinar, the Feeding America Healthy Cities Phase II year one is described and the evaluation results are shared for Feeding America food banks in Houston and Cleveland.

  • Webinar
  • View slides from the Healthy Cities Phase II Year 1 webinar
  • Read the report for Healthy Cities Phase II Year 1

Feeding America Healthy Cities Phase II Year Two and Phase III Year One Results

For the 2016-2017 school year, the Healthy Cities program expanded to a third phase in New Orleans, while finishing up the second year of Phase II in Houston and Cleveland.

  • Webinar
  • View slides from the Healthy Cities Phase II Year 2 and Phase III Year 1 webinar
  • Read the report for Healthy Cities Phase II Year 2
  • Read the report for Healthy Cities Phase III Year 1

By Chris Vogliano, MS, RD, LD and Katie Brown, Ed.D., RDN, LD

This report highlights where wasted food can potentially occur throughout the food supply chain, the environmental and economic impact of wasted food, and opportunity areas for registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) to help reduce wasted food within a total infrastructure that has both a business and consumer facing perspective.

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