Kerry Health and Nutrition Institute shares knowledge gleaned from gathering of scientific minds

Published: 10-Aug-2016

The primary goal of the Kerry Health and Nutrition Institute is to help translate the science and policy of nutrition into actionable intelligence for the food and beverage industry

Great things are possible when scientific minds of industry and academia collide. Members of Kerry’s Scientific Advisory Council, made up of recognised leaders in nutrition science and research, recently met with a 50-strong cross functional team of Kerry’s top taste and nutrition experts for an insight and innovation session.

Following this, Kerry’s nutrition team published five new blogs on the Kerry Health and Nutrition Institute. Representatives of the Scientific Advisory Council at this gathering of minds included

  • Sharon Donovan, PhD, RD, Professor of Nutrition at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, who spoke to the group about upcoming opportunities to improve nutrition for infants and children
  • Joanne Slavin, PhD, RD, Professor of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota gave insights into how the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans will impact product development and package labelling
  • Roger Clemens DrPH, Executive Vice President of PolyScience Consulting, and Chief Scientist for Daedalus Humanitarian sparked lively debate with his discussion on clean label and food safety.

Members of the Council meet with Kerry advisers twice a year to provide evidence-based insights and advice to help advance Kerry’s taste and nutrition solutions and research programme. The meeting also provides an opportunity for Council members to incorporate key research findings from academic settings into products and ingredients that reach the consumer to improve their health.

Two guest speakers further augmented the wealth of expertise in the room:

  • Stuart Phillips PhD, Professor in Kinesiology at McMaster University, who led discussions on healthy ageing and performance nutrition
  • Christopher Simons, PhD, Assistant Professor Food Science and Technology at Ohio State University, who spoke about taste science and consumer preferences.

The group explored scientific advancements and hot topics such as healthy ageing, performance nutrition, taste and sensory science, clean Label and policy changes Impacting the food and beverage Industry.

The Scientific Advisory Council is an integral part of the Kerry Health and Nutrition Institute and the passionate discussion and lively debate produced ideal insights for five new blogs written by Kerry’s nutrition team and published on the Institute’s website:

  • Summing Up Added Sugars for Nutrition Labelling by Aisling Aherne, PhD, RNutr answers the question: 'What do added sugar labelling requirements on food packages mean for product developers?
  • Love for Legumes in Dietary Guidance and Product Innovation by Nathan Pratt, PhD, RD, and Wiwid Paramita, PhD, showcases the plentiful pros of consuming legumes and identifies strategies for how the industry may incorporate these nutritious ingredients into tasty products
  • Three Things You Need to Know About Protein for Exercise Performance by Eimear Gleeson, PhD, RD, outlines key methods of optimising protein intake to improve exercise performance
  • Red Meat Can Still Be ‘What’s for Dinner’ by Michael Kemp, PhD, RD, rethinks the risk of consuming red or processed meat and provides strategies for incorporating these foods into a healthy diet
  • Why Don't Athletes in the Olympic Village Shake Hands? by Caroline Cummins, illustrates the impact illness can have on training and competition performance of elite athletes and nutritional strategies to reduce illness risk.

Satya Jonnalagadda, PhD, RD, MBA, Global Director for Nutrition at Kerry, explained: 'The primary goal of the Kerry Health and Nutrition Institute is to help translate the science and policy of nutrition into actionable intelligence for the food and beverage industry. Sharing up-to-the-minute insight with the food and beverage industry in the form of these five blogs is our way of living up to that promise.'

You may also like