From healthcare reform to the First Lady’s Let’s Move initiative tackling childhood obesity to the release of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, nutrition and health are top issues among healthcare providers, policymakers and the food industry alike. Like never before, nutrition and food professionals have been identified as being central to peoples’ success in improving the healthfulness of their diets. Among these professionals are registered dietitians and food scientists.

In a recent web cast, the International Food Information Council Foundation (IFIC Foundation), the American Dietetic Association (ADA) and the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) teamed up to discuss their visions of how the current food and health environment will affect the way consumers eat in the future and how these professionals can help them use food to positively influence their health. Their outlook for the future of food included a focus on prevention, increased access to dietitians, an increased role for food science and the need for more research.

“As a registered dietitian, I know that consumers need healthful, realistic and achievable food solutions,” said Jessie Pavlinac, MS, RD, CSR, LD, who is the current president of the ADA. “From childhood obesity to determining foods served in schools and hospitals to caring for our aging population, dietitians will be an integral part of educating consumers and others on ways to improve their health through the food decisions they make everyday.”

Food science and technology plays an important role in the ongoing convergence of food, nutrition and health. Roger Clemens, DrPH, and IFT president-elect designate said, “Food science and technology are behind every aspect of the food-to-fork continuum, providing the foundation for overall health and wellness. Food scientists are working with other professionals, like dietitians, to help create realistic food solutions for consumers. We can expect to see an increase in the variety of healthful food options, reflecting nutrition recommendations, available in the future.”

Elizabeth Rahavi, RD, associate director of Health and Wellness at the IFIC Foundation noted that Americans are primed for actionable advice about food and health. Yet she also said, “We must find innovative ways to motivate people to act and sustain beneficial lifestyle changes. Partnerships are critical to helping consumers achieve real change in their diets and lifestyles.”