8:30 am

Registration & Breakfast

9:00 am

Keynote Address

9:30 am

Plenary Session: The Next Administration’s Food Policy Priorities

Under the first Trump Administration, federal regulators eased restrictions on the use of pesticides and herbicides, relaxed nutrition standards for school meals, gave biotech companies more flexibility to put genetically engineered foods on the market, and authorized meat processors to operate at faster line speeds, among other market-friendly policies. Will the second Trump Administration continue where it left off, or will it forge new alliances in a bid to “Make America Healthy Again”? What kinds of policy shifts from the status quo can we expect to see? What role will Congress play?

10:30 am

Networking Break

11:00 am

Concurrent Session 1:

Concurrent Session 1: What’s Processing Got To Do With It?

Controversy surrounds the concept of ultra-processed foods, with critics arguing that the term lacks precision and groups together foods with little in common. Yet researchers continue to investigate how food processing affects nutrition, and to translate that research into dietary advice. What can policymakers and the public take away from the current science on ultra-processed foods? How can future research illuminate the connections between food processing and health?

Concurrent Session 2:

Concurrent Session 2: Managing Zoonotic Disease Risk

The ongoing H5N1 outbreak has garnered headlines but many other zoonotic diseases both arise out of and affect food production. For example, researchers have documented how hog farm workers and their families are at increased risk of acquiring swine influenza virus infections, and theorized that E. coli from meat products cause hundreds of thousands of urinary tract infections in the U.S. each year. How should policymakers respond to these risks? What practices deserve closer scrutiny? Who should bear the costs of protecting the public from zoonotic disease?

11:00 am

Concurrent Session 3: Food and Trade (wars)

The U.S. imports nearly a fifth of the food supply, including an estimated one third of vegetables and two-thirds of fruits. At the same time, U.S. companies export tens of billions of dollars’ worth of corn, soy, beef, pork, and other agricultural commodities. How will tariff hikes affect agricultural policy, food prices, and global hunger? What lessons can be learned from the first Trump Administration’s trade disputes with China and other major trading partners, and what can we expect to be different this time?

12:15 pm

Luncheon

1:00 pm

Keynote Address

1:45 pm

Concurrent Session 1:

Concurrent Session 1: The Case for Universal Free School Meals

Americans got a taste of universal free school meals during the pandemic, and several states have opted to continue with the policy following the federal policy’s reversion to the status quo. Advocates claim that the policy boosts access to school meals, decreases administrative burden for school administrators and nutrition staff, and reduces stigma for students from families with low incomes. Opponents claim it is too expensive and fosters government dependency. What is the experience of states that have launched universal free school meals programs? How should these experiences inform federal school meal policy?

Concurrent Session 2:

Concurrent Session 2: Harnessing the Power of Artificial Intelligence for Consumers

So far, the food industry’s investments in artificial intelligence have focused on using consumer data to refine marketing tactics. But federal regulatory agencies are also using A.I. for projects ranging from post-market surveillance of food ingredient safety, to measuring soil moisture. Tools like rapid pathogen detection, food environment mapping, and predictive analytics suggest further potential for A.I. to reduce food safety risk, boost nutrition, and cope with environmental stressors. How can public policy help to ensure that artificial intelligence helps to improve diets, and not just companies’ bottom lines?

Concurrent Session 3:

Concurrent Session 3: How to Lobby Me

Back by popular demand! Lobbying can feel daunting, but despite the noisy headlines about congressional chaos and dysfunction, lawmakers continue to govern, and advocacy on food policy can make a difference. In this session, congressional staffers will talk about what is most effective in persuading their bosses, and how you can refine your lobbying strategy to best succeed.

3:00 pm

Networking Break

3:30 pm

Plenary Debate: Does the “Food is Medicine” Approach to Diet-Related Disease Do More Harm Than Good?

The U.S. spends more on healthcare than any other industrialized country, yet American life expectancy is declining. In response to mounting evidence that our diets deserve much of the blame, government, foundations and private industry, particularly within healthcare, have devoted hundreds of millions of dollars to “food is medicine” initiatives. These initiatives leverage the healthcare system to help needy patients access nutritious food through programs such as “produce prescriptions” and cooking classes. But critics maintain that little evidence supports these programs, and that funneling money for food through healthcare will exacerbate existing access obstacles and inefficiencies. This debate will explore the appropriate relationship between the healthcare system and the food system.

4:15 pm

Plenary Session: New Frontiers of Federal Food Assistance Programs

Will the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) ever allow recipients to purchase hot food, or exclude products like soda? How are shifts to online purchasing in programs like SNAP and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) playing out across the country? What future innovations are in store?

5:15 pm

Adjourn

8:00 am

Registration & Breakfast

8:30 am

Keynote Address

9:00 am

Concurrent Session 1:

Concurrent Session 1: Overcoming Conflicts (of interest)

Amidst growing skepticism with experts and institutions generally, nutrition and food policy research has come under increasing scrutiny. Critics have cited research funding and consulting fees for nutritionists affiliated with the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, the National Institutes of Health, major universities, and other public health authorities, as evidence of bias. Policymakers in the United Kingdom have recommended that food policy discussions “exclude food businesses” that produce less healthy products. What are the controls in place to manage conflicts of interest, and where do they fall short? What can policymakers do to restore trust in nutrition research and dietary guidance?

Concurrent Session 2:

Concurrent Session 2: The Long Road to FOP Labeling

Dozens of countries use front-of-package (FOP) nutrition labels to draw attention to foods with high sugar, fat and sodium content. After decades of anticipation, FDA is on the cusp of mandating an FOP label for U.S. producers, but the proposal is controversial. How serious are challenges to the rule’s legality? What’s the evidence that FOP labeling rules make a difference to public health?

Concurrent Session 3:

Concurrent Session 3: Food and Immigration

Immigration policy significantly influenced the 2024 elections, with 55% of voters indicating that they wanted immigration reduced and 20% of Trump voters citing it as their most important issue. Immigrants, many of them undocumented, play an outsized role in the food system. For example, USDA estimates that half of the 2.4 million agricultural farm workers are undocumented immigrants. How will policies to restrict new arrivals and deport those already here affect food prices, worker welfare, food industry innovation, competition, and other facets of the food system?

10:30 am

Plenary Session: The Evolving Role of Dietitians

As concerns have grown over Americans’ growing waistlines, so too has the demand for dietitians’ advice. Dietitians are increasingly raising awareness about preventative strategies to avoid chronic diet-related diseases, helping to manage pharmaceutical weight-loss interventions, and becoming more involved in public policy. At the same time, they are attracting greater scrutiny for perceived conflicts of interest.  How are dietitians shaping, and being shaped by, food policy? A panel of dietitians will discuss the contributions that the profession has to offer, navigating ethical challenges, and responding to emerging evidence in nutrition science.

11:15 am

Networking Break

11:35 am

Plenary Session: The Future of Food Chemical Regulation

According to recent survey data, consumer concerns about chemicals in food and other safety threats are growing, with “ultra-processed” becoming the new buzz word. Dissatisfied with federal regulation, state legislators across the country have introduced bills to enact statewide bans on various food dyes and other additives. What factors are driving this unease? How are federal policymakers responding? What is the proper role of Congress, federal agencies like FDA, and the states in regulating food chemicals?

12:30 pm

Adjourn