On the 29th of November, 2022 the Royal Society of Medicine, London UK, hosted a meeting entitled:
“Dietary supplements, 'functional' and 'super' foods: Science, regulations and roles in the diet”.
The meeting was co-organized by Julian Stowell, Science Committee Member of the Sabri Ülker Foundation and David Mela, formerly of Unilever. The meeting was sponsored by the Sabri Ülker Foundation.
The primary purpose of the event was to review the status of dietary supplements, ‘functional’ and ‘super’ foods with a particular emphasis on the situation in Europe.
Presenters reviewed the steps required to secure regulatory approval for this category of foods and ingredients, including the scientific evidence required to establish health and/or nutrition claims. The potential role of food supplements in public health and restrictive diets was then discussed in detail with a specific presentation on the experience of supplement use in clinical practice. Consumer behaviour with regard to supplements was analysed and a perspective was given on ‘functional’ and ‘super’ foods.
The proceedings have been published as an Open Science Framework narrative, accessible via the following link:
It is hoped that this narrative will be regarded as a balanced perspective on dietary supplements, ‘functional’ and ‘super’ foods.
International Conference on Nutrition and Public Health, 3-4 October, 2023 Tbilisi, Georgia
Changes in eating habits in Georgia over the last two decades have created additional health challenges as elsewhere. Against this backdrop the Georgian Nutrition Society encourages an integrated approach to achieving and maintaining good health via optimum nutrition and physical activity.
The Sabri Ülker Foundation partnered with the Georgian Nutrition Society and The Nutrition Society of the United Kingdom and Ireland to host a conference and workshops in Tbilisi, Georgia with the following aims and objectives:
- To review the role of diet and nutrition in health and non-communicable diseases,
- Raising awareness of the role and importance of nutrition in the health and welfare of society,
- Emphasising the need for relevant, up-to-date, science-based education accessible to all stakeholders,
- To become familiar with the status quo in Georgia and elsewhere,
- To learn about inspiring initiatives that have made a positive difference, and
- Above all to identify opportunities for improving the situation in Georgia and beyond
Conference speakers included Prof. Dr. Nur Baran Aksakal from Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health; Dr. Julian Stowell, a member of our Science Committee; Prof. Diána Bánáti from Szeged University in Hungary; Dr. Manana Stanley, Eka Bobokhidze and Rusudan Gvamichava of the Georgian Nutrition Society; Prof. John Mathers and Dr Oliver Shannon of the Human Nutrition & Exercise Research Centre, Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, UK; Dr Avril Aslett-Bentley, Freelance Consultant Dietitian/Nutritionist, West Yorkshire, UK; Dr Caroline Saunders, pladis Global, London, UK and Begüm Mutus of the Sabri Ülker Foundation, with contributions from many colleagues.
The event attracted a multidisciplinary capacity audience in the conference room combined with online participation. The workshops on the second day facilitated lively discussions and the clear take-home message was that a wide cross-section of stakeholders in Georgia are motivated to see improvements in the health and nutrition status of their population. The positive international input was much appreciated. the proceedings have now been published in the British Journal of Nutrition, accessible via the following link: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114524000618
