On 15 May, IDF organized its fourth annual IDF Nutrition and Health Symposium 2024 with a focus on the role of dairy in dietary guidelines around the world within a comparative approach. “Healthy Today, Tomorrow and in the Future: the place of Dairy in Dietary guidelines” was the theme chosen for this edition. For the second year, the Symposium was broadcasted at two different times to allow audiences from different hemispheres to choose the hour that best suited their time zone and availability to attend. The event had over 1,100 registrants and 400 participants. During the symposium a new IDF Factsheet on the importance of dairy in dietary guidelines was released.
A new IDF Factsheet on the role of Dairy in Dietary Guidelines
During the Symposium, IDF published the Factsheet of the IDF Number 40/2024 "Developing Evidence-Based, Food-Based Dietary Guidelines: Critical Contributions of Dairy". The purpose of this factsheet is to provide context and rationale for addressing the evolving recommendations surrounding dairy in global Food-Based Dietary Guidelines. It highlights the importance of including nutrient-dense foods, specifically dairy foods, based on credible scientific evidence.
Ms Ashley Rosales, leader of the IDF Action Team on Dairy's role in Food-Based Dietary Guidelines and Nutrition & Industry Affairs Officer at Dairy Council of California highlighted in her concluding remarks and presentation of the factsheet: "Food-Based Dietary Guidelines, established around the world by governmental authorities and health authorities need to comprise evidence-based recommendations for healthy eating patterns and lifestyle choices".
“Food-based dietary guidelines are powerful tools for promoting nutrition security and also for overall health and wellbeing at the population level. The absence of standardized dietary guidelines underscores a significant challenge, with substantial variability observed between countries in their recommendations regarding dairy consumption", she added.
Ms Ashley Rosales concluded “the new IDF factsheet provides context and rationale for addressing the evolving recommendations surrounding dairy in global food-based dietary guidelines. Also, it highlights the importance of including nutrient dense foods and specifically dairy foods for their numerous contributions to healthy people and thriving communities.”
The new IDF Factsheet can be downloaded here.
About IDF (International Dairy Federation)
Helping nourish the world with safe and sustainable dairy. The IDF is the leading source of scientific and technical expertise for all stakeholders of the dairy chain. Since 1903, IDF has provided a mechanism for the dairy sector to reach a global consensus on how to help feed the world with safe and sustainable dairy products. A recognized international authority in the development of science-based standards for the dairy sector, IDF has an important role to play in ensuring the right policies, standards, practices, and regulations are in place to ensure the world’s dairy products are safe and sustainable.