Exploring the role of dairy and plant-sourced foods for nutrition and healthy diets
In recent years, the global food landscape has experienced a significant shift toward plant-sourced foods, some of them positioned as alternatives to meat and dairy. Dietary changes are often motivated by factors such as perceived health claims, environmental concerns, and ethical considerations. However, this shift raises important questions about the nutrition and health implications of replacing animal-sourced foods with plant-sourced foods or adopting a more plant-rich diet. This year’s IDF Nutrition and Health Symposium delves into the scientific aspects of dairy and plant-based nutrition. The key topics addressed included:
·        The health implications of more plant-rich diets and the reduction of animal-sourced foods
·        Nutritional differences between dairy and plant-sourced drinks and foods
·        The bioavailability of nutrients in dairy and plant-sourced foods
·        The bioaccessibility and digestibility of proteins in plant-sourced foods and dairy
·        Intolerances and allergies related to dairy and plant-sourced products
With growing interest in plant-based diets and their implications for health and sustainability, consumers, health professionals, and industry stakeholders need reliable, science-based information. By examining the nutritional quality, digestibility, and bioavailability aspects of dairy and plant-sourced foods, this event aimed to equip attendees with the knowledge to communicate and make informed dietary choices in the context of shifting towards more plant-rich diets.
Programme
 Time (CEST) | Session 1 | Session 2 | |
Session 1: 07:00 – 07:05 Session 2: 16:00 – 16:05 | Welcome Ms Laurence Rycken, Director General IDF | ||
Session 1: 07:05 – 07:15 Session 2: 16:05 – 16:15 | Opening Remarks Dr Lynnette Neufeld, Director Food and Nutrition Division FAO | ||
Session 1: 07:15 – 07:20 Session 2: 16:15 – 16:20 | Session Moderator: Professor Louise van der Berg, University of the Free State, South Africa  | Session Moderator: Dr Rodrigo Valenzuela, Universidad de Chile, Chile  | |
Session 1: 07:20 – 07:40 Session 2: 16:20 – 16:40 | Balancing Sustainability and Nutrition: The Impact of Reducing Animal-Source Foods on Micronutrient Adequacy Dr Ty Beal, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) | ||
Session 1: 07:40 – 08:00 Session 2: 16:40 – 17:00 | Nutritional Differences Between Milk and Plant-Based Beverages Professor Hassan Vatanparast, College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan, Canada | ||
Session 1: 08:00 – 08:20 Session 2: 17:00 – 17:20 | Beyond Dairy: Evaluating Bioaccessible Calcium in Plant-Based Sources Dr Molly Muleya, Nottingham University, United Kingdom | ||
Session 1: 08:20 – 08:25 Session 2: 17:20 – 17:25 | Health Break | Health Break | |
Session 1: 08:25 – 08:45 Session 2: 17:25 – 17:45 | Transitioning to plant-rich diet: Protein quality Dr Suzanne Hodgkinson, Massey University, New Zealand | ||
Session 1: 08:45 – 09:05 Session 2: 17:45 – 18:05 | Managing Cow’s Milk Allergy in 2025: Milk Ladders  Professor Carina Venter, University of Colorado, United States | ||
Session 1: 09:05 – 09:25 Session 2: 18:05 – 18:25 | The Contribution of Dairy and Plant-Based Foods to Nutrition and Health in Japan Professor Seiichiro Aoe, Otsuma Women’s University, Japan | ||
Session 1: 09:25 – 09:40 Session 2: 18:25 – 18:40 | Panel Discussion Moderator: Professor Louise van der Berg, University of the Free State, South Africa Panellists:
| Panel Discussion Moderator: Dr Rodrigo Valenzuela, Universidad de Chile, Chile Panellists:
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Session 1: 09:40 – 09:45 Session 2: 18:40 – 18:45 | Closing Remarks Professor Louise van der Berg, University of the Free State, South Africa | Closing Remarks Dr Rodrigo Valenzuela, Universidad de Chile, Chile  | |
Session 1: 09:45 – 09:55 Session 2: 18:45 – 18:55 | Learner Assessment for Commission on Dietetic Registration CPEUs | ||
| Â | Close | Close | |
Event Booklet
The booklet includes speaker bios, presentation abstracts and key messages from the presentations.
