ICN 2009 DAY 2 Greetings from Bangkok, Thailand, on day 2 of the International Congress of Nutrition conference! Today was a day packed with activities, from a highly successful PepsiCo-sponsored breakfast forum on global under nutrition to a very special PepsiCo-sponsored fellowship dinner for our young researchers, hosted by Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Mehmood Khan.
Tuesday, October 6 started off on a powerful foot, with the PepsiCo-sponsored panel of ‘experts’ on global under nutrition. The panel of five, featuring PepsiCo’s own VP of Global Health Policy, Dr. Derek Yach; Dr. Steve Collins of Valid International; Dr. Marc van Ameringen of GAIN; Dr. Ellen Piwoz of Gates Foundation; and Dr. Karen Lapping of Save the Children. Dr. Delon Human of HEALTH Diplomats, a health consultancy based in Geneva, Switzerland, was the panel’s moderator. All panelists spoke to the importance of collective leadership in the fight against under nutrition, giving an overview of their specific agencies’ roles in the challenges and opportunities in alleviating under nutrition.
Dr. Yach spoke to the importance of learning from younger and passionate employees. He also talked about PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi’s global commitment to the health and wellness agenda, citing Bill Gates and Mohammed Yunus’ ideas of ‘social business’ as relevant to PepsiCo’s future. Dr. Yach also talked about the PepsiCo Foundation’s monetary pledges to groups such as the World Food Programme and Save the Children. Dr. van Ameringen spoke to the importance of private sector involvement in under nutrition, including larger-scale micronutrient fortification programs, investment in training, proper food standards quality systems, new partnerships like the GAIN Business Alliance, and innovative research from the private sector being accepted by the public sector. Dr. van Ameringen also discussed the difference between the ‘base of the pyramid’ and those individuals who make less than $2USD/day in salary – and how to combat under nutrition in both groups. Dr. Lapping discussed her organization’s commitment to ‘programs of excellence’ around the world, and delved into the issue of economic growth and its relationship to nutrition security. She also talked about long-term approaches to under nutrition versus short-term approaches to under nutrition, citing her belief that investment in the long-term would yield the most positive longitudinal health outcomes, particularly in women’s education in developing countries around the world. Dr. Piwoz discussed sustainable solutions to solving the global burden of under nutrition, and stressed the importance of integrated approaches. Finally, Dr. Collins spoke about globalization and its role in nutrition security, and also spoke to the importance of investing in long-term projects rather than simply looking to the short-term for solutions.
The breakfast was a huge success. Participants were engaged, asking relevant and intelligent questions about industry’s role in helping to alleviate the burden of global under nutrition.
There were a multitude of plenary sessions during the day. Topics included ‘childhood obesity: global perspectives,’ ‘ensuring appropriate nutrition from the start,’ ‘iron and malaria interactions,’ ‘public-private partnerships to address the double burden of malnutrition,’ ‘ensuring safe food supply,’ ‘building better programs through delivery science,’ ‘novel lipids in clinical nutrition,’ ‘antioxidant defense,’ and ‘biofortified crops as an emerging nutrition intervention.’ All members of the PepsiCo team attended various plenary sessions.
In the evening, PepsiCo sponsored a dinner at the Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel in downtown Bangkok. The event was hosted by PepsiCo CSO Dr. Mehmood Khan, and was a celebration of the young research fellows from around the world participating in ICN 2009. Dr. Khan spoke a few words to introduce himself and the PepsiCo teams attending the event, and emphasized the important role the research fellows play in the future of nutrition science and health policy. Dr. Dondeena Bradley, VP of Global Nutrition at PepsiCo, also spoke a few words about the importance of involving young researchers in current activities, in order to build a future of ‘best practices.’
